United States of America: Court granted permanent injunction against Ohio’s Social Media Parental Notification Act (NetChoice v Yost)

On 16 April 2025, the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio granted a permanent injunction in NetChoice v Yost, blocking enforcement of Ohio’s Social Media Parental Notification Act of 2023. The Act, originally scheduled to take effect in January 2024, would have required social media and online gaming platforms to obtain verifiable parental consent before allowing users under 16 to create accounts. NetChoice, a trade association representing online platforms, challenged the Act on First Amendment grounds. The Court found that the Act imposed a prior restraint on minors’ access to lawful speech, compelled platforms to redesign services in ways that infringed editorial discretion, and was unconstitutionally vague and overbroad. The Court determined that these burdens on free expression outweighed the State’s asserted child-protection interests, and permanently enjoined the Attorney General from enforcing the Act.