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The law was part of an $86.1 billion state budget bill that
Republican Gov. Mike DeWine signed into law in July. It’s set to take effect
Jan. 15. The administration pushed the measure as a way to protect children’s
mental health, with Republican Lt. Gov. Jon Husted saying at the time that
social media was “intentionally addictive” and harmful to kids.
The NetChoice trade group filed its lawsuit against GOP
Attorney General Dave Yost in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of
Ohio. It seeks to block the law from taking effect.
The litigation argues that Ohio’s law — which requires
social media companies to obtain a parent’s permission for children under 16 to
sign up for social media and gaming apps — unconstitutionally impedes free
speech and is overbroad and vague.
The law also requires social media companies to provide
parents with their privacy guidelines, so that families can know what content
will be censored or moderated on their child’s profile.
“We at NetChoice believe families equipped with educational
resources are capable of determining the best approach to online services and
privacy protections for themselves,” Chris Marchese, director of the
organization’s litigation center, said in a statement. “With NetChoice v. Yost,
we will fight to ensure all Ohioans can embrace digital tools without their
privacy, security and rights being thwarted.”
The group has won lawsuits against similar restrictions in
California and Arkansas.
Husted, who leads Ohio’s technology initiatives and
championed the law, called Friday’s lawsuit “cowardly but not unexpected.”
“In filing this lawsuit, these companies are determined to
go around parents to expose children to harmful content and addict them to
their platforms,” Husted said in a statement.
He alleged the companies know their algorithms are harming
children “with catastrophic health and mental health outcomes.” -AP