A federal judge has ruled that social media companies cannot be mandated to block specific types of content from teenagers, thus preventing certain provisions of a controversial social media law in Texas from taking effect. The ruling came in response to a challenge from tech industry groups against the Securing Children Online Through Parental Empowerment (SCOPE) Act in Texas, which includes age verification requirements and policies for how social media platforms handle teenage users. The judge deemed the requirement to prevent minors’ exposure to harmful material, such as content that “glorifies” self-harm and substance abuse, as unconstitutional, stating that a state cannot selectively block protected speech categories online. Despite striking down this aspect of the law, the judge upheld other provisions such as age verification and bans on targeted advertising to minors. The tech group NetChoice argued that laws like the Scope Act would lead major tech companies to collect more data from minors. The Texas law is part of a broader trend across the country where states are introducing legislation to regulate how social media platforms interact with underage users, with New York and California passing similar laws recently.
