Judge allows parental controls for Texas children’s social media accounts, but blocks content moderation requirement

(The Texas Tribune) – A federal district court judge on Aug. 30 temporarily blocked part of a new social media law designed to prevent Texas children from accessing certain content online through platforms such as Instagram and Facebook.Judge Robert Pitman found the requirement unconstitutional that social media companies filter out harmful content, such as information that features self-harm or substance abuse, from a minor’s feed. But Pitman did not block other portions of the law, including a requirement that parents have several controls over their minor children’s accounts.The ruling is temporary, meaning it only applies until a final judgement is issued in the legal battle stemming from two tech industry groups, the Computer and Communications Industry Association and NetChoice, who sued in July to block the law. A separate lawsuit seeking to block the law was filed by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, a free speech advocacy group. A decision is still pending in that suit.Here’s what you need to know.The background: Texas lawmakers in 2023 passed House Bill 18, known as the Securing Children Online through Parental Empowerment Act, to limit minors’ access to social media platforms and to protect them from seeing harmful content if they...