Kid Time

Kids can still get their brains ruined:

The tech industry group NetChoice — a trade association representing many of the largest tech companies in the U.S. — scored another win over concerned parents on Wednesday after Judge Algenon L. Marbley granted a permanent injunction against the Social Media Parental Notification Act in a decision for the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, according to a report by Bloomberg Law. The law — which Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost (R) is now prohibited from enforcing due to Judge Marbley — mandated that social media platforms verify their users are at least 16-years-old, and establish parental consent for younger users. In its January 2024 complaint, NetChoice claimed the legislation was in violation of the First and 14th Amendment, because it required Ohio residents to give up their personal data in order to obtain access to a platform. “Generally, First Amendment protections ‘are no less applicable when government seeks to control the flow of information to minors,'” the judge said, adding that the law needed to satisfy strict scrutiny, given it is a content-based restriction — which suggested the legislation restricted children’s ability to speak and hear speech. Ohio Governor Mike DeWine (R), meanwhile, called Judge Marbley’s preliminary injunction “disappointing” and asked Congress to “protect our country’s children.”

Until then, grab your phones, kids...