Court Partially Lifts Block on California's Child Safeguard Law

A federal appeals court has decided to lift most of an injunction that previously prevented California from implementing a law aimed at shielding children from harmful online content.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals determined that the trade group NetChoice, which includes tech giants Amazon, Google, Meta, and more, is unlikely to demonstrate that the California Age-Appropriate Design Code Act is entirely unconstitutional. NetChoice claims the law infringes on the First Amendment by effectively turning corporations into state censors.

Governor Gavin Newsom signed this law in 2022. It mandates that businesses generate reports analyzing potential risks to children on their platforms and take preemptive actions to mitigate these risks. If violated, fines can reach significant amounts per affected child. The debate continues as some sections of the law remain under scrutiny.