COLUMBUS, Ohio—Today, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio will hear NetChoice’s request to halt the state’s unconstitutional Parental Notification by Social Media Operators Act that fails Ohioans and their families online while our lawsuit, NetChoice v. Yost, moves through the legal system.
The hearing begins at 9:30 AM ET. There is not a livestream available.
“We are confident that this unconstitutional, misguided law will ultimately be struck down by the Court on the merits,” said Chris Marchese, Director of the NetChoice Litigation Center. “Lawmakers don’t have to pursue unconstitutional solutions, let alone ones that hurt those Ohioans’ privacy, security, and online speech, to keep minors secure online. There are constitutional alternatives. We are optimistic the Court will halt this unconstitutional law while our case moves through the legal system.”
This law violates the constitutional rights of Ohioans many times over:
- It conditions Ohioans’ ability to access and publish information online on whether they are willing to upload private records, regardless of age. That violates the First Amendment.
- It in practice forces social media companies to store the sensitive user data of adults and children alike. This will make them a prime target for cyber criminals and predators.
- Families should determine how their own children and teens use internet services—not the government. The State cannot unconstitutionally grab power that usurps the rights of parents and guardians.
Read our request for a preliminary injunction here, and the U.S. District Court’s ruling granting NetChoice’s request for a temporary restraining order against the law here.
Learn more about our case, NetChoice v. Yost,here.
Please contact Krista Chavez at press@netchoice.org with inquiries.