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A Mississippi law that requires social media users to verify their ages can go into effect, a federal court has ruled. A tech industry group has pledged to continue challenging the law<\/a>, arguing it infringes on users\u2019 rights to privacy and free expression. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n A three-judge panel of the 5th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals overruled a decision by a federal district judge to block the 2024 law<\/a> from going into effect. It’s the latest legal development as court challenges play out against similar laws in states across the country. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n Parents \u2014 and even some teens themselves<\/a> \u2014 are growing increasingly concerned about the effects of social media use<\/a> on young people. Supporters of the new laws have said they are needed to help curb the explosive use of social media<\/a> among young people<\/a>, and what researchers say is an associated increase in depression and anxiety<\/a>. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch argued in a court filing defending the law that steps such as age verification for digital sites could mitigate harm caused by \u201csex trafficking, sexual abuse, child pornography, targeted harassment, sextortion, incitement to suicide and self-harm, and other harmful and often illegal conduct against children.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/div>\n Attorneys for NetChoice, which brought the lawsuit, have pledged to continue their court challenge, arguing the law threatens privacy rights and unconstitutionally restricts the free expression of users of all ages. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n The industry group, which has filed similar lawsuits in Arkansas<\/a>, Florida<\/a>, Georgia<\/a>, Ohio<\/a> and Utah<\/a>, represents some of the country’s most high-profile technology companies, including Google, which owns YouTube; Snap Inc., the parent company of Snapchat; and Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n In a written statement, Paul Taske, co-director of the NetChoice Litigation Center, said the group is \u201cvery disappointed\u201d in the decision to let Mississippi’s law go into effect and is \u201cconsidering all available options.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cNetChoice will continue to fight against this egregious infringement on access to fully protected speech online,” Taske said. “Parents \u2014 not the government \u2014 should determine what is right for their families.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/div>\n