US appeals court blocks part of Texas children's online safety law
A US appeals court has blocked a portion of Texas's online safety law targeting children, halting at least part of the state's attempt to impose new restrictions on minors' access to online platforms. The ruling represents a legal setback for Texas as it advances one of several state-level efforts to regulate children's digital experiences.
Why this matters: States are racing to pass children's online safety laws, and courts are struggling to keep up. Some of these laws genuinely try to protect kids. Others are broad enough to restrict access to legal content for everyone, not just minors. When a court blocks part of a law like this, it is usually because the line between protecting children and restricting speech got blurry. That line matters. Platforms, parents, and teenagers all have something at stake in where it gets drawn.
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