A key provision in California’s online-safety law violates the First Amendment, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled.
As reported by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, the three-judge panel agreed with RCFP’s argument that the California Age-Appropriate Design Code Act unconstitutionally requires news outlets as well as other businesses to restrict or modify access to some lawful online material if it is likely to be seen by children under 18.
The Aug. 20 ruling in NetChoice v. Bonta stated that such a requirement “facially violates the First Amendment.”
See also: Harmful-to-Minors Laws