French Social Media Bans for Minors Stalls, but EU-Wide Decisions Don’t
Last week, the French Constitutional Council - the highest constitutional authority in France - blocked the law banning minors under 15 years of age from using social media and other digital services, ruling it partially non-compliant.
Can the government force you to prove your age and identity to download a mobile app without violating the First Amendment? The U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals will consider that question when it hears arguments this week in two closely watched cases challenging Texas’ App Store Accountability Act.
Iowa Child Social Media Ban Would Force App-Store ID Checks on All Iowa Adults
Iowa's 2026 governor's race moved beyond toss-up territory this week, as a fresh forecaster rating pushed state auditor Rob Sand's campaign into national focus — and the Democratic nominee's signature tech-policy proposal placed Iowa at the center of the country's most contested debate over how to govern children's access to social media. Inside Elections rated Iowa "tilts Democrat" on August 6, 2026 — the first major race-rater to give Sand a categorical edge over his Republican opponent, Zach Lahn.
Another Parental-Consent Statute, Another Injunction: Lessons from Nebraska’s Sweeping Law
Shielding minors from harms ostensibly caused by social media platforms requires balancing the interests of multiple stakeholders in a nuanced, constitutional manner that digital age-verification and parental-consent statutes typically can’t achieve. That point was pounded home again in late June when Senior US District Judge John Gerrard issued a preliminary injunction in NetChoice v. Hilgers blocking enforcement of key parts of a Nebraska statute known as the Parental Rights in Social Media Act.
Senate Social Media Bills Aim to Protect Kids But Attack Free Speech
The Senate Commerce Committee this week advanced several bills that would radically restrict free expression, innovation, and privacy online. Most policymakers sincerely believe these bills will keep kids safe online, but the bills are dangerous attacks on online speech.
Congress’ Age Verification Proposals Are Flawed in Different Ways
Faced with multiple options for protecting children online and a growing patchwork of state legislation, Congress has turned to age verification as a potential solution to some of children and parents’ problems. The logic is straightforward: In order to extend extra protections to children, online services need to know their users’ ages. However, putting that theory into practice is far more complicated. Age verification requirements carry many risks and can end up creating new privacy and security problems.
Kids’ Safety Bills Hand Washington Bureaucrats New Powers Over Free Speech Instead of Investing in Real Child Safety Measures
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee is holding an Executive Session markup to consider five kids’ online safety and artificial intelligence bills. The proposals would hand federal bureaucrats sweeping new authority over what Americans can see, say, and access online — while doing little to address the actual sources of harm to young people.
Congress Should Make Children’s Privacy the On-Ramp to a National Privacy Law for All
The Senate Commerce Committee marked up five children’s online safety bills on Aug. 5, unanimously advancing the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA). The markup came five weeks after the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Kids Internet and Digital Safety (KIDS) Act on June 29 by a 267-117 vote, marking the first time any version of the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) has cleared the chamber.
CCC Comments on Designing Age Assurance to be Privacy-Protective – Guidance for Age Assurance Developers
The Consumer Choice Center is an independent, non-partisan consumer advocacy group championing the benefits of freedom of choice, innovation, and abundance in everyday life. We champion smart policies that are fit for growth, promote lifestyle choice, and defend technological innovation.
