By Julie Carr Smith
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) --A trade group representing TikTok, Snapchat, Meta and other major tech companies sued Ohio on Friday over a pending law that requires children to get parental consent to use social media apps.
The law was part of an $86.1 billion state budget bill that Republican Gov. Mike DeWine signed into law in July. It's set to take effect Jan. 15. The administration pushed the measure as a way to protect children's mental health, with Republican Lt. Gov. Jon Husted saying at the time that social media was "intentionally addictive" and harmful to kids.
The NetChoice trade group filed its lawsuit against GOP Attorney General Dave Yost in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio. It seeks to block the law from taking effect.
The litigation argues that Ohio's law — which requires social media companies to obtain a parent's permission for children under 16 to sign up for social media and gaming apps — unconstitutionally impedes free speech and is overbroad and vague.
The law also requires social media companies to provide parents with their privacy guidelines, so that families can know what content will be censored or moderated on their child's profile.
"We at NetChoice believe families equipped with educational resources are capable of determining the best approach to online services and privacy protections for themselves," Chris Marchese, director of the organization's litigation center, said in a statement. "With NetChoice v. Yost, we will fight to ensure all Ohioans can embrace digital tools without their privacy, security and rights being thwarted."
The group has won lawsuits against similar restrictions in California and Arkansas.
Husted, who leads Ohio's technology initiatives and championed the law, called Friday's lawsuit "cowardly but not unexpected."
"In filing this lawsuit, these companies are determined to go around parents to expose children to harmful content and addict them to their platforms," Husted said in a statement.
He alleged the companies know their algorithms are harming children "with catastrophic health and mental health outcomes."
Cultivate.Media Signs Director Stefan Pflug For U.S. Spot Representation
Danish director Stefan Pflug has signed for exclusive U.S. spot representation with bicoastal Cultivate.Media, the commercial and content production company overseen by managing director/executive producer Mark Thomas and executive producer Stuart Wilson. Cultivate.Media is the first U.S. spot roost for Pflug, who is represented in France by Frenzy Paris, Le Berg Berlin in Germany, Holy Ravioli in Denmark, and Thirsty Film in Finland and Sweden. Pflug's filmography includes memorable work for major brands and lesser known alike, including Arla, Danske Spil, Adidas, AXA, the PlayStation game trailer for PayDay 3, Danone, Pfizer, Puma, Santander, and Vivo. “When I first screened Stefan’s work, I came away with this impression: his film can give you a warm smile or even cause you to shed a tear, but it always compels you to think,” said Thomas. “Rare is the filmmaker who possesses those attributes. It’s the visceral reaction followed by the contemplation of what you experienced when you screen Stefan’s reel that I can only describe as total engagement with his film.” “I feel that my reel is now in a place where the timing is right for an expansion in the U.S. market,” said Pflug. “My conversations with Mark and Stu have been really substantial and comfortable and I trust their evaluation of the work that I have done, because they took the time to dig in and analyze it. Further, I like them as individuals, and we share a very clear ambition for the kind of work I want to do, and the journey I am on as a director.” Pflug’s love of professional sports--the immediacy of the event, the focus, and yes, the emotion--led, unexpectedly, to his career in advertising: after earning a Master’s in Business, he worked in sports sponsorships and... Read More