A trade group representing a number of the largest social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and X is suing Ohio after the state enacted a law that requires children under the age of 16 to get their parents’ consent before opening an account.
The NetChoice trade group wants the US District Court for the Southern District of Ohio to strike down the Social Media Parental Notification Act, which was passed last summer.
The law, which matches into effect on Jan. 15, was championed by Lt. Gov. Jon Husted following the tragic death of James Woods, a 17-year-old from Streetsboro, Ohio, who committed suicide in November 2022 after he fell victim to a sextortion plot online.
“This lawsuit is cowardly but not unexpected,” Husted, a Republican, said in an announcement.
NetChoice’s grievance claimed that requiring minors to get permission before they will join for social media and gaming apps is unconstitutional. The suit alleges the law impedes free speech, is overbroad and vague.
A trade group representing large tech firms is suing Ohio over a latest parental consent law. AP
“We at NetChoice imagine families equipped with educational resources are able to determining the perfect approach to online services and privacy protections for themselves,” Chris Marchese, director of the organization’s litigation center, said in an announcement.
“With NetChoice v. Yost, we are going to fight to make sure all Ohioans can embrace digital tools without their privacy, security and rights being thwarted.”
The group has won lawsuits against similar restrictions in California and Arkansas.
Husted, who leads Ohio’s technology initiatives, refuted those assertions.
A recently enacted law requires children under the age of 16 to get their parents’ permission before opening a social media account. DimaBerlin – stock.adobe.com
“In filing this lawsuit, these firms are determined to go around parents to show children to harmful content and addict them to their platforms,” Husted said.
He alleged the businesses know their algorithms are harming children “with catastrophic health and mental health outcomes.”
In keeping with the FBI, there have been at the least 3,000 sextortion victims within the US in 2022.
Woods was contacted by someone posing online as a teen who convinced him to send explicit images of himself through Instagram.
The brand new law is aimed toward cracking down on cases of sextortion involving minors. Ohio Legislative Servie Commission
Those images were then sent to other teens, in line with investigators. The perpetrators threatened to send more unless Woods paid $300.
Last month, Meta introduced latest encryption technology for direct messages on Facebook and Instagram despite warnings from former employees who say the move will make it harder to trace down child predators online.
Encrypted messages block anyone except the sender and receiver from viewing the contents of the communication.
With Post wires
