TEXAS, USA — House Bill 18, otherwise known as Securing Children Online Through Parental Empowerment or "SCOPE" is now in effect.
The Bill requires digital service providers to protect and limit data collection and content from anyone under the age of 18.
This will now give parents the ability to monitor their child's media use and will require a parent or guardian's consent before allowing a minor to make a social media account.
However, a federal judge partially blocked part of this new law last week and it is temporary until a final judgement is made in a lawsuit filed by two tech companies and a non-profit free speech advocacy group.
State Representative Shelby Slawson carried this bill, saying it will give parents more control over how their child uses social media and how their information is collected.
The non-profit organization Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (F.I.R.E.) is suing Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on behalf of four people who believe their rights could be threatened by this act.
"People's constitutional rights don't magically appear on their 18th birthday," said Robert Corn-Revere, Chief Counsel of F.I.R.E. "The state does not have the ability to simply lay down blanket restrictions on what information can be made available to young people."
F.I.R.E. believes this is a violation of the First Amendment and some topics that might be banned for minors on social media could be life saving information.
The outcome of this case could affect other states that tried to pass similar legislation, but have been blocked.
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