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   Federal judge blocks Louisianas social media age verification law  here's why   
      
   Date:   
   Mon, 22 Dec 2025 12:47:54 +0000   
      
   Description:   
   Another state-level attempt to enforce age verification on social media has   
   been blocked. A federal judge ruled Louisiana's Act 456 unconstitutional,   
   citing major privacy and First Amendment concerns.   
      
   FULL STORY   
      
   US District Court has permanently blocked Louisiana's controversial social   
   media age verification law, declaring it unconstitutional just days before it   
   was set to be enforced.    
      
   In a decision handed down this week, Judge John W. deGravelles ruled in favor   
   of NetChoice, a tech trade association representing giants like Meta, X   
   (formerly Twitter), and Google, arguing that the "Secure Online Child   
   Interaction and Age Limitation Act" (Act 456) violated the First Amendment.    
      
   The law, passed in 2023, would have required social media platforms with more   
   than five million users to verify the age of every account holder and obtain   
   parental consent for minors under 16. While state officials argued the    
   measure was necessary to protect children from online harm, the court found   
   the legislation to be "wildly underinclusive" and "vastly overinclusive,"   
   ultimately burdening the free speech rights of adults and minors alike.    
      
   The ruling is a significant victory for privacy advocates who have long    
   warned that mandatory ID checks create security vulnerabilities and comes    
   only days after NetChoice scored a similar victory in Arkansas .    
      
   In an era where data breaches are common, the requirement to upload   
   government-issued identification to access lawful content has driven many   
   security-conscious users to seek out the best VPN services to secure their   
   digital footprint better. That said, a VPN alone cannot bypass account-level   
   ID enforcement if it is tied to residency.   
      
   "ID checks outside the library"   
      
   Judge deGravelles did not mince words in his 94-page opinion . He criticized   
   the state's approach, stating that while the government has an interest in   
   protecting children, it does not possess a "free-floating power to restrict   
   the ideas to which children may be exposed."    
      
   Drawing a powerful analogy, the court agreed with NetChoices argument that    
   the First Amendment "forbids the government from posting ID-checks outside    
   the library door," ruling that the same principle applies to social media.    
      
   The judge also noted that the law was unconstitutionally vague in its   
   definition of what constitutes a "social media platform," leaving companies   
   guessing as to whether they were liable. By forcing all users to surrender   
   anonymity to access protected speech, the law would have chilled expression   
   and created significant privacy risks for Louisiana residents.   
      
   A growing legal trend   
      
   This decision is not an isolated event. It follows a clear pattern of federal   
   courts striking down similar state-level age verification mandates.    
      
   Only last week, we reported on how a federal judge blocked Arkansas' social   
   media safety law , citing nearly identical First Amendment concerns. Like the   
   Louisiana case, the Arkansas ruling emphasized that the state cannot broadly   
   restrict access to information in the name of safety without proving that    
   less restrictive alternatives, such as device-level parental controls, are   
   ineffective.    
      
   Paul Taske, Co-Director of the NetChoice Litigation Center, celebrated the   
   Louisiana ruling in a statement. "Today, the First Amendment prevailed in   
   Louisiana," Taske said. "The government lacks authority to restrict access to   
   lawful speech it does not like."   
      
   What comes next?    
      
   While the permanent injunction prevents the law from taking effect, the legal   
   battle may not be entirely over. Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill   
   expressed disappointment with the ruling and indicated plans to appeal.    
      
   "It's unfortunate that the court chose to protect huge corporations that   
   facilitate child exploitation over the legislative policy to require simple   
   age verification mechanisms," Murrill said in a statement .    
      
   However, with legal precedents mounting in Ohio, Arkansas, California, and    
   now Louisiana, the path forward for state-mandated age verification looks   
   increasingly difficult. For now, social media platforms operating in    
   Louisiana will not be required to implement the ID checks, and users can   
   continue to access these services without handing over government   
   documentation.    
      
   ======================================================================   
   Link to news story:   
   https://www.techradar.com/vpn/vpn-privacy-security/federal-judge-blocks-louisi   
   anas-social-media-age-verification-law-heres-why   
      
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