US Supreme Court Urged to Block Mississippi Law Restricting Children’s Social Media Use

A leading internet trade association, representing platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, and Snapchat, has petitioned the US Supreme Court to block a controversial Mississippi law that imposes strict age-verification and parental consent requirements for children accessing social media. The law, which recently cleared a key legal hurdle in the conservative 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, mandates that digital service providers must make “commercially reasonable” efforts to verify users’ ages and obtain explicit parental approval for minors to create accounts. Violations may result in civil penalties of up to $10,000 per incident, as well as potential criminal charges.

The trade group, NetChoice, argues that the law infringes on constitutional free speech rights and places a burden not only on children but also on adults, obliging all users to verify their identities. They contend that the rule is analogous to requiring identification to read a newspaper and warn that it sets a troubling precedent for online access. Supporters of the law, including Mississippi’s attorney general, maintain that the restrictions are vital to protect minors from harms associated with social media, such as exposure to dangerous content and potential exploitation.

Mississippi’s statute is among the most aggressive state-level efforts to address the perceived dangers of social media to youth. Courts in several other states, including Florida, Texas, and Utah, have blocked similar laws from taking effect, making Mississippi the lone state currently allowed to enforce such provisions. The case presents the Supreme Court with its first significant opportunity to weigh in on state regulation of online access for children, amid growing national debate over youth mental health and digital privacy