A federal judge blocked on Saturday a Nebraska law regarding minors’ usage of social media from going into effect.
In 2025, the Nebraska legislature passed the Parental Rights on Social Media Act. The law aimed to address minors’ mental health issues stemming from social media by mandating age verification, requiring parental consent, and requiring platforms to give parents tools to monitor social media activity.
In June, NetChoice, an association of social media companies, sued the state over the act and filed a preliminary injunction to block the law from going into effect.
U.S. District Court Judge John Gerrard granted a partial injunction, saying the law violates the First Amendment rights for social media users and platforms. He said the age verification and parental consent affect multiple activities and materials protected by the amendment.
However, Gerrard allowed one portion of the law to be enforced, the requirement for social media platforms to create a dashboard allowing parents to monitor minors' social media activity.
He found that an increase of social media activity does have negative impacts on mental health issues.
Attorneys defending Nebraska argued the law focuses on the creation of social media accounts; it does not restrict users’ speech on the platforms.
NetChoice pushed back, saying in order for users to fully engage in expressive activity, they are required to have an account.