Federal Judge Blocks Mississippi Age Verification Law

A federal judge in Mississippi has blocked a state law that would have required users of websites and digital services to verify their age, citing concerns about limiting access to online speech. The law, aimed at protecting children from explicit material, faced opposition from tech industry groups like NetChoice, including major companies like Google, Snap Inc., and Meta. Similar laws in other states have been blocked by judges following challenges from NetChoice. Meanwhile, in Indiana, a federal judge halted a law that would have imposed strict age verification on adult websites, deeming it likely unconstitutional and suggesting filtering technology as a better solution to protect minors from harmful content.