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NetChoice Sues Georgia Over Parental Consent Law for Social Media

The lawsuit against Georgia's parental consent law highlights concerns about minors' access to social media.

News Summary

NetChoice has launched a lawsuit against Georgia’s Senate Bill 351, which requires parental consent for minors using social media. The bill, effective from July 2025, is seen as a violation of First and Fourteenth Amendment rights. The law mandates age verification for users under 16, potentially impacting how companies advertise and collect data. The suit follows previous legal challenges in other states and highlights ongoing debates about online safety for minors and constitutional rights.

Atlanta – The technology industry trade group NetChoice has filed a lawsuit against Georgia’s recently enacted parental consent law, Senate Bill 351, which mandates that children under the age of 16 obtain parental permission to use social media platforms. The law, set to take effect on July 1, 2025, marks Georgia as the eighth U.S. state to face a legal challenge over similar regulations.

The lawsuit has been submitted to the U.S. District Court in Atlanta, where NetChoice argues that the law violates the First Amendment rights to free speech and the 14th Amendment rights to due process. According to the organization, the law restricts access to online speech for minors and poses risks to their privacy.

The legislation requires social media companies to make “commercially reasonable efforts” to verify the ages of their users. If age verification cannot be completed, users must be classified as minors, which will significantly impact how companies target them for advertising and collect data. Violations of the law could result in fines of up to $2,500 for non-compliance with these age verification requirements.

Georgia’s Attorney General Chris Carr and other state officials have expressed their commitment to defending the law, emphasizing the significance of safeguarding children from potential dangers online. The law also requires local school districts to inform students about the risks associated with social media.

This legal action follows the precedent of similar laws that have been struck down in states such as Arkansas and Ohio, and currently face temporary blocks in Utah. Challenges against social media consent requirements are also ongoing in Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee.

Recent studies indicate that around 95% of teenagers between the ages of 13 and 17 engage with social media platforms, with many reporting that they access these platforms “almost constantly,” according to data from the Pew Research Center. The widespread use of social media among minors raises questions about the effectiveness of such regulations in ensuring online safety.

NetChoice’s lawsuit argues that existing parental control tools provide sufficient measures for monitoring minors’ online activities without imposing unconstitutional restrictions. Notably, the lawsuit does not contest a provision of the law concerning age verification for adult pornography sites, suggesting that its primary concerns lie with broader social media access.

The ramifications of this law, if upheld, could be significant, affecting not only how social media companies operate but also the online experiences of minors. The enforcement of age verification requirements may lead to greater cybersecurity risks and unintended consequences, such as further undermining parental authority regarding children’s online interactions.

The legal battle surrounding Georgia’s parental consent law underscores the ongoing debate about how best to protect children in the digital age without infringing on constitutional rights. As court proceedings unfold, the outcome remains uncertain, with social media companies and advocates for free speech closely monitoring the situation.