Two tech industry groups are suing to invalidate a Florida law prohibiting social media platforms from allowing anyone under 14 to create or maintain accounts, and requiring platforms to obtain parental consent before allowing 14- or 15-year olds to create or maintain accounts.
In a complaint filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Tallahassee, the organizations NetChoice and the Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA) say the law (House Bill 3) violates the First Amendment in several ways -- including by preventing minors from accessing lawful speech.
“By restricting the ability of minors (and adults, who must now prove their age) to access these websites, Florida has 'with one broad stroke' restricted -- and, for those under 14, prohibited -- access to valuable sources for speaking and listening, learning about current events, 'and otherwise exploring the vast realms of human thought and knowledge,'” the groups wrote, quoting from a 2017 Supreme Court decision invalidating a North Carolina law that would have restricted social media use by convicted sex offenders.
Please select this link to read the complete article from MediaPost.