The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals should direct a lower court to enjoin California’s 2024 law (SB-976) restricting social media feeds for minors, consumer privacy advocates and free-market groups said in amicus briefs filed Thursday (case 25-146). As it urged the appeals court to reverse the U.S. District Court for Northern California, the Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT) raised privacy concerns about requiring companies to conduct age verification.
The Kids Off Social Media Act (KOSMA) would create redundant and conflicting regulations due to existing children’s privacy protections, the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation said Thursday.
Illinois legislators introduced a slew of privacy measures last week, including a comprehensive bill, Delete Act proposal and multiple updates to the state’s Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA).
Maryland, one of many states across the country introducing age-verification bills aimed at protecting children online, heard testimony Wednesday in support of HB-394. The bill would make websites liable for distributing obscene content to kids younger than 18, while setting data retention rules for identifying information collected for age verification (see 2501170053).
A privacy expert who worked on Maryland's age-appropriate design code (AADC) said she hopes it can better withstand legal challenges than the California version of the law.
Judges for the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals appeared split during oral argument Tuesday in NetChoice v Fitch, which deals with a Mississippi kids online safety law. NetChoice sued Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch (R) last year over HB-1126, alleging that it violates the First Amendment and that its age-verification requirement poses privacy problems (see 2501310041).
Oklahoma Rep. Josh West (R) said he won't bring his comprehensive privacy bill to the floor this year, despite the House Government Modernization and Technology Subcommittee clearing it at a Wednesday meeting. The panel also cleared an age-verification bill.
The Senate Commerce Committee on Wednesday approved legislation that would restrict children’s social media use and targeted ads, despite concerns about data privacy and free speech (see 2502040047).
Sen. Margo Juarez (D) wants to add “teeth” to Nebraska’s privacy law with a bill like California’s Delete Act that aims to make it easier for consumers to delete their data, she said in an interview Tuesday. However, at a livestreamed hearing of the bicameral legislature’s Commerce Committee Monday, counsel for Nebraska’s secretary of state raised concerns that the bill would be difficult to implement.
The Senate Commerce Committee expects to pass legislation banning social media use for children younger than 13 during Wednesday’s markup, Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, and committee members told us Tuesday.