The Supreme Court will hear a Texas law aimed at blocking minors from accessing pornography, raising concerns about free speech and online regulation.
Basically, Texas is saying that kids can easily find all sorts of explicit stuff on their phones, and they want to put a stop to it. They think it’s super important to protect kids from all that adult content. But here’s the catch: the adult industry group, the Free Speech Coalition, is pushing back. They argue that this law could mess things up for adults too, since it requires them to share personal info online, which could be risky.
They get that kids shouldn’t see porn, but they’re worried the law is too broad. It might even affect educational content or movies with simulated sex scenes. Plus, they point out that the law focuses on porn sites but ignores search engines, which is where a lot of kids find this stuff in the first place.
An ACLU lawyer mentioned that this is really about how the government can control speech it doesn’t like. It’s not the first time the Supreme Court has dealt with this issue. Back in the ’90s, they shot down parts of a law that banned explicit material for kids online.
Texas argues that technology has come a long way since then. They say it’s now easier to check someone’s age online, kind of like showing ID at a store. The law has already been given the green light by the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, and the Supreme Court didn’t pause the age verification requirement while the legal battle continues.
Other states like Tennessee, Arkansas, and Utah have similar laws. If someone breaks the Texas law, they could face fines up to $10,000, and even more if a minor is involved. It’s a hot topic, and everyone’s watching to see what happens next.
