Social media companies can’t be forced to block teenagers from seeing ‘harmful’ content, judge rules

A federal judge has ruled that social media companies should not be required to block certain types of content from teenagers. The ruling would prevent some aspects of Texas’ controversial social media law from going into effect.

The decision came as a result of a challenge by tech industry groups to the Protecting Children Online Through Parental Empowerment (SCOPE) Act, a Texas law that imposes age verification requirements and other policies on how social media companies treat new users. But, as The Verge The measure also requires companies to “avoid exposing a child to known harmful material,” including content that “glorifies” self-harm and drug abuse.

It was that last requirement that was struck down, with the judge saying that “the state cannot pick and choose which categories of protected speech we wish to prevent young people from discussing online.” The judge also criticized the language used in the law, writing in his ruling that words like “glorification” and “development” were “politically charged” and “undefined.”

At the same time, the judge left other aspects of the law, including age verification requirements and a ban on advertising targeted at minors, in place. NetChoice, the tech industry group that challenged the law, says measures like the Scope Act require big tech companies to increase the amount of data collected on children.

The Texas law, passed last year, is one of many across the country that are testing how social networks deal with minority users. New York recently passed a law limiting the ability of social media companies to collect data from young users, and requires parental consent for young users to access “addictive” features such as algorithmic feeds. California lawmakers also adopted a measure, yet to be signed into law by the governor, that would require social media companies to limit notifications to children and block them from “addictive” algorithms.