What Would Online Age Verification Mean for Speech, Privacy, and Youth Online Safety? Examining the Potential Impact of Recent Legal Cases and Proposed Legislation

A new wave of age-verification laws for app stores and internet services like social media have been proposed at both state and federal levels. These laws raise pressing constitutional concerns about privacy, free speech, and the proper role of government in regulating online behavior. The Supreme Court decided Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton, a pivotal case challenging a requirement that users verify their age, such as by uploading government-issued identification, to access online adult content. While well-meaning adults may want to protect young people from certain harms both online and off, these proposals could also threaten to chill lawful speech, compromise privacy, and set dangerous precedents. Requiring age verification for online content could open the door to broader government controls over political speech and dissent. These burdens are felt not only by “Big Tech” but also by smaller companies that may be providing services for more specific communities. Furthermore, it’s unclear if these proposals will actually improve online safety. Are there alternative approaches that can balance the concerns of parents with the freedoms of users of all ages and the benefits of innovation? How should courts, policymakers, and parents weigh the potential trade-offs between the benefits and risks for kids and teens online? This event will explore the legal, technological, and ethical implications of age-verification laws.

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