A federal judge has granted NetChoice’s request for a preliminary injunction that suspends Mississippi state law that required internet users to be age-verified.
House Bill 1126—intended to protect minors from harmful online content—was signed into law in April and was set to go into effect on July 1.
NetChoice—an organization that advocates for free online expression with limited government regulation—sued the state over the bill, arguing that it constitutes government overreach. It should be parents, not the government, overseeing their children’s online activities, the group argues.
The bill’s main sponsor, Republican state Rep. Jill Ford, told local media after the bill passed in both the House and Senate in April that it was written to protect minors by prohibiting social media providers from permitting users to set up accounts without age verification or parental consent while reducing the amount of harmful content targeted at children….