Supreme Court opens door to social media age-gating in US

The Supreme Court has allowed Mississippi's social media age verification law, HB 1126, to take effect while the case is being argued in court. The law requires social media platforms to verify the age of users and block underage users from accessing certain content, such as sexual material and content related to self-harm. The trade association NetChoice, which represents tech giants like Meta, Google, and Amazon, argues that the law violates the First Amendment. While Justice Brett Kavanaugh acknowledged that the law is "likely unconstitutional," he said that NetChoice had not "sufficiently demonstrated" a risk of harm. This decision comes as lawmakers across the US and around the world push for age verification mandates to protect children from harmful online content. The Supreme Court has previously upheld a Texas law requiring age verification for access to porn sites, and the UK has begun enforcing a broader online age-gating requirement. Experts warn that these age verification laws can have significant impacts on the privacy and speech rights of both adult and teen users. The Supreme Court's decision does not necessarily mean the Mississippi law will be upheld as constitutional if the case reaches the full appeals process.