NetChoice

A coalition of children's safety advocates is urging House leaders to reject a bipartisan KIDS Act compromise, arguing it weakens protections for minors and avoids holding tech companies accountable. The groups oppose the omission of a 'duty of care' provision requiring tech companies to mitigate harms to young users, a feature included in the Senate’s version of the Kids Online Safety Act. Tech industry group NetChoice has also criticized the KIDS Act over censorship concerns.

A federal appeals court upheld an Ohio law requiring parental consent for teens under 16 to access social media, allowing it to proceed after years of legal challenges. NetChoice, representing companies like YouTube and Meta, argued the law violated the First Amendment, but judges ruled the burden on speech was marginal. The decision split the court, with one judge dissenting over free speech concerns.

A federal court upheld Ohio's age verification law for social media and websites, a report found over 600,000 Black Ohioans did not vote in the 2022 midterms, and Ohio lawmakers abandoned efforts to regulate data centers amid tax break disputes.

A divided Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled to restore Ohio's law requiring parental consent for children under 16 to use social media apps. The decision, which rejects NetChoice's challenge, mandates that platforms obtain parental permission and disclose privacy guidelines. Ohio's law, part of a 2023 budget bill, aims to protect children's mental health by giving parents oversight over their online activity.

A divided Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals panel ruled that Ohio’s law requiring parental consent for children under 16 to use social media must be restored. The 2-1 decision rejected claims by NetChoice, a trade group representing TikTok, Snapchat, and Meta, that the law was unconstitutional. The law, part of Ohio’s 2023 state budget, aims to protect children’s mental health by requiring parental permission and transparency about platform terms.

A coalition including Mike Pence’s Advancing American Freedom and groups like R Street Institute and NetChoice is urging Senate Commerce Committee leaders to exclude kids’ online safety measures from a national AI framework. The groups argue the proposed bills, such as the Kids Online Safety Act and App Store Accountability Act, risk violating free speech and privacy, with concerns over age verification requirements and data security.

Chicago is collecting $49.2 million in the first year of Mayor Brandon Johnson’s social media tax, surpassing initial estimates by 58.7%. The tax, targeting companies like Meta and YouTube, faces a legal challenge from NetChoice, which argues it violates First Amendment rights. Officials warn of potential financial losses if the tax is overturned.

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier filed a lawsuit against TikTok, alleging the company violates the state’s 2024 social media law by failing to require parental consent for 14- and 15-year-olds and allowing children under 13 to access apps with addictive features. The lawsuit claims TikTok misrepresents the frequency of mature content on its platform, which includes drugs, nudity, and profanity, and accuses the app of enabling easy access to such material for minors.

AI industry groups allege China-linked actors are using social media to amplify opposition to U.S. data centers, which power the AI boom. Critics argue the industry is deflecting domestic community resistance by blaming foreign interference, citing examples of bot-driven posts from regions like South Asia and Africa targeting projects such as Utah's Stratos Project.