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Tech groups, others plan full fight over kids’ online safety bills

Opponents say they will challenge on constitutional grounds bills intended to protect kids online that are set for a Senate vote.

​As the Senate prepares to vote Tuesday on a broadly supported package intended to protect kids online, opponents are gearing up to lobby hard in the House to forestall further action and to pursue challenges on constitutional grounds. Parents whose children have either died by suicide or have confronted mental health issues after being exposed to addictive social media content have urged lawmakers, including Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., to pass legislation to address their concerns. Marchese said provisions in the Blumenthal-Blackburn bill run into the same questions decided in the 2005 case Brown et al. v. Entertainment Merchants Association, in which the Supreme Court ruled that the California law banning the sale of violent video games to anyone under age 18 and requiring clear labeling was a violation of the First Amendment.

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