Industry groups representing the biggest social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and He is suing the state.
The NetChoice industry group is asking the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio to strike down the social media parental notification law passed last summer.
The law went into effect on January 15 and was supported by Lt. Governor Jon Husted in response to the tragic death of James Woods, a 17-year-old from Streetsboro, Ohio, who committed suicide in November 2022. Online sextortion conspiracy.
“This lawsuit is despicable but not unexpected,” Husted, a Republican, said in a statement.
NetChoice's complaint argues that it is unconstitutional to ask minors for permission before signing up for social media and gaming apps. The lawsuit claims the law interferes with free speech and is too broad and vague.
“At NetChoice, we believe that families with the educational resources can decide for themselves the best approach to online services and privacy protections,” Chris Marchese, director of the group's Litigation Center, said in a statement.
“In NetChoice v. Yost, we will fight to ensure that all Ohioans have unhindered access to digital tools for their privacy, security, and rights.”
The group has won lawsuits against similar regulations in California and Arkansas.
Husted, who heads Ohio State's technology initiative, disputed those claims.
“In filing this lawsuit, these companies are determined to go around parents, exposing their children to harmful content and getting them addicted to their platforms,” Husted said.
He claimed the companies knew their algorithms were having “devastating health and mental health impacts” on children.
According to the FBI, there were at least 3,000 sextortion victims in the United States in 2022.
Woods was contacted online by someone posing as a teenager and persuaded to send explicit images of himself through Instagram.
Investigators say the images were then sent to other teens. The perpetrators threatened to send more money if Woods did not pay the $300.
Last month, Meta rolled out new encryption technology for direct messages on Facebook and Instagram, despite warnings from former employees that it would make tracking child predators online more difficult. Introduced.
Encrypting a message ensures that only the sender and recipient can view the communication.
with post wire
