The US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit on June 18 reversed a lower court ruling and upheld Ohio's Parental Notification by Social Media Operators Act, which requires social media platforms to obtain parental consent before children under 16 can create accounts. The appellate court instructed the district court to enter judgment in favor of Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson, who took office on June 8, 2026, succeeding Dave Yost, the original named defendant in the case, according to medianama.com.
The case began when NetChoice, a trade association representing companies such as Meta, TikTok, Snap, Google, and X, challenged the law on grounds that it restricted access to protected speech and was unconstitutionally vague. However, the majority of the appellate panel disagreed, ruling that NetChoice failed to prove the law was facially unconstitutional. The court reversed the district court's earlier decision that had blocked the law and remanded the case with instructions to enter judgment in favor of Ohio's attorney general, per medianama.com.
Ohio's law, enacted in 2023, mandates that certain social media services must obtain parental consent before allowing children under 16 to create accounts. This ruling clarifies that constitutional free speech protections do not automatically prevent states from imposing such parental consent requirements. The decision impacts major social media platforms represented by NetChoice and sets a precedent for similar laws in other states, according to medianama.com.
The ruling is a significant legal affirmation for Ohio's approach to regulating children's access to social media. The judgment directs the district court to finalize the case in favor of the Ohio attorney general, marking a key moment in the ongoing debate over social media regulation and minors' online privacy protections.