JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – A state regulation designed to implement online safeguards to ensure children’s safety has become active. A family from Starkville claims they will keep advocating for ongoing protections.
We first presented Brian Montgomery to you in the spring of 2023. That was four months following the tragic loss of his 16-year-old son, Walker, to suicide, which stemmed from a sextortion scam. His name is now included in Mississippi’s legal statutes through the Walker Montgomery Protecting Children Online Act.
“I think that if this had been implemented before what happened to Walker, he would still be with us,” said Brian Montgomery, referring to the new law.
However, the law was temporarily halted while it went through the judicial process. This changed last week when a federal three-judge panel allowed it to go into effect.
It involves a dual transformation.
First, individuals under the age of majority will be required to obtain permission from their parents in order to establish accounts on social networking websites.
When you need to verify your age to do something, it makes you think more carefully and say, ‘I probably should take this more seriously.’ I believe this will be true for many parents,” Montgomery stated. “I think it would have been the case for us.
Nevertheless, it is the other part that Montgomery believes is the most significant.
It asks technology companies to make reasonable attempts to stop clearly specified harmful content from reaching children,” he explained. “All of these things they can stop before it ever reaches those accounts.
NetChoice is the organization that filed a lawsuit against the state, advocating for major technology companies such as Meta, X, and Google. They are now requesting the U.S. Supreme Court to pause the case.
Free speech is facing threats, and NetChoice is standing up against it. Social media functions as the modern printing press, enabling all Americans to express their ideas and viewpoints. Until now, Mississippi residents have had the same opportunity, without government interference,” stated Paul Taske, Co-Director of the NetChoice Litigation Center. “However, Mississippi’s censorship system would change the current situation by requiring individuals to disclose their personal, sensitive information just to access fully protected online speech. This constitutes a significant First Amendment violation. The ambiguous language also poses a risk of suppressing various forms of protected educational, historical, political, and cultural content. Mississippi may believe it has the best interests at heart, but when it comes to free speech, the state cannot impose its views on individuals or families.
“Some advantages come with responsibilities, as we are aware they can be harmful to young people,” replied Montgomery.
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