An Ohio district judge has temporarily blocked the Social Media Parental Notification Law, passed in July of last year. Algenon Marbley considers in its ruling that the parental permission requirement is an undue burden on the rights of platform users. The governor Mike DeWine expressed his "disappointment" with the decision, which he "respectfully disagreed with" and noting that "because federal courts interpret federal constitutional law to preclude the State of Ohio from protecting Ohio's children, Congress must act to protect our nation's children."
My response to the court decision of preliminary injunction that blocks the Social Media Parental Notification Act: pic.twitter.com/qDleGjbprZ
— Governor Mike DeWine (@GovMikeDeWine) February 12, 2024
Victory for networking and gaming companies
The law, which should have come into force in mid-January, imposed on social media and gaming companies, the obligation to obtain parental permission so that minors under 16 years of age can access the applications. In addition, they had to show their privacy policies so that parents have information about what content would be censored or moderated in their children's profile.
The Netchoice Group, which represents TikTok, Snapchat and Meta, among other companies, denounced the rule and obtained a temporary suspension of its entry into force last month, before this new victory that suspends its application because it is considered unconstitutional while it is being studied.
DeWine, "disappointed"
After learning of the ruling, Governor DeWine issued a statement in which he defends the content of the law, highlighting the negative effect of networks on minors, which can even cause suicide.
There is overwhelming evidence that social media has a negative effect on the mental health of minors, including increases in depression and suicide-related behavior. The Social Media Parental Notification Act remains a reasonable, clear, narrowly tailored, and, I believe, lawful approach to provide safeguards and parental guidance.
