In an effort to regulate how social media companies moderate their content, Texas recently passed House Bill 18, also known as the Securing Children Online through Parental Empowerment Act. This law requires platforms like Instagram and Facebook to register the age of all users and obtain consent from a parent or guardian before minors create an account. The goal of the law is to limit minors‘ access to social media platforms and protect them from harmful content.
State Representative Shelby Slawson, who carried the bill, emphasized the importance of giving parents more control over how minors‘ information is collected and used by digital service providers. Lawmakers cited concerns about children’s overexposure to digital platforms leading to increased rates of self-harm, suicide, substance abuse, and other mental health issues. The law aims to address these issues by requiring parental consent for minors to create accounts and giving parents the ability to supervise their children’s use of digital platforms.
However, not everyone is in favor of this new law. The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) has filed a lawsuit against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to block the law from going into effect on September 1. FIRE argues that the law infringes on the First Amendment rights of both adults and minors, as it could prevent individuals from accessing vital information on social media platforms.
Additionally, two tech industry groups, the Computer and Communications Industry Association and NetChoice, have also sued to block the age verification law. These groups represent major tech companies like Meta, Google, and eBay, and argue that the law violates free speech rights by forcing websites to monitor and remove certain types of speech and restricting minors‘ access to lawful content.
The outcome of these lawsuits could have a significant impact on the regulation of social media content not only in Texas but also in other states. As more states consider similar laws to regulate social media platforms, the legal battles surrounding HB 18 will set a precedent for how these issues are addressed in the future.
Overall, the debate over Texas‘ age verification law highlights the complex challenges of balancing free speech rights, parental control, and the protection of minors online. It remains to be seen how the courts will rule on these lawsuits and what implications it will have for the future of social media regulation.