Georgia youth social media law approved by judges

New tonight, a group of federal judges says Georgia can enforce a law restricting social media access based on age. A trade group of tech companies like Meta, Amazon, and Google sued State Attorney General Chris Carr over that law. It mandates that kids under 16 get their parents permission to sign up for service. Now the tech company's lawyer tells NewsEdge reporter Rob DiRienzo they're worried about free speech. The panel of federal judges says Georgia's new law restricting social media use based on age can proceed. A group of companies like Meta, Amazon, and Google argue it's a violation of free speech and privacy. I spoke to the lawyer leading the tech company's fight. Placing a burden on access to speech in the first instance is a First Amendment problem. But that argument did not convince a panel of judges on the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals Thursday, which allowed Georgia's new law requiring age verification on social media to proceed. Paul Tasky represents the trade organization of tech giants. It's really a digital ID mandate for everyone in the state of Georgia to prove that they either are or are not under the age of 16. Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr declaring victory after the ruling, saying, quote, this is about keeping our children safe from online predators and mental health harms. David Schweidel, a business tech professor at Emory University's Goizueta Business School agrees. I think it's the right ruling. We've heard ample evidence. We've seen ample research that social media for minors is detrimental to their well-being. While it's designed to keep kids under 16 off of social media without their parents' permission, NetChoice argues Senate Bill 351 makes users of any age prove who they are, raising free speech and privacy concerns. The speech at issue is fully protected speech for everyone regardless of age. The law says the companies could get hit with fines if they fail to make reasonable efforts to ensure their users are older than 16. Professor Schweidel says these companies have a very real financial interest in getting kids onto their platforms. We can make the free speech arguments. We can talk about the privacy risks. But at the end of the day, that's what these companies are looking for. They are looking for users from whom they can collect data and ultimately serve ads. The case now returns to a U.S. district judge here in Atlanta, but Attorney General Chris Carr says this 11th Circuit ruling paves the way for SB 351 to take full effect. NetChoice says they're evaluating their next legal steps. In Atlanta, Rob DiRienzo, Fox 5 News.