Red State’s Age Verification Digital ID Law To Go Into Effect, For Now

The Supreme Court declined to block a new Mississippi law that requires age verification for social media users.

NetChoice, an internet trade group that represents social media giants, including Meta, TikTok, and X, filed an emergency application to the high court to prevent the enforcement of the law.

Emergency Application Filed To Supreme Court Over Red State’s Age Verification Digital ID Law

NetChoice asked the high court to pause the law while the case played out in the lower courts on its merits.

The Supreme Court did not elaborate its reasoning for rejecting the emergency application.

The state says the law is intended to protect children from online predators and to require parental consent before minors access social media sites.

Critics say the law is a violation of First Amendment rights and compels all users to prove identity and age before creating accounts.

Supreme Court Allows Mississippi Age Verification Law to Take Effect, Advancing Online Digital ID Pushhttps://t.co/x9XMm50pkA

— Reclaim The Net (@ReclaimTheNetHQ) August 15, 2025

Fox News has more:

Only Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh gave any indication of his thinking in a three-paragraph concurring opinion, writing that, while he believes the law in question is "likely unconstitutional," and that NetChoice "demonstrated it would likely succeed on the merits" of the case, he agreed with his colleagues in ruling that the group failed to meet the high bar required for emergency relief.

The case will continue to play out in the lower courts, and is expected to make its way back to the Supreme Court for full consideration at a later date.

At issue is Mississippi's sweeping social media law, known as H.B. 1126. The law, passed by the state in 2024, blocks young people from accessing popular social media sites, including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, Pinterest, and Reddit without express parental consent.

It also requires social media sites to take additional steps to verify the ages of users before allowing them to create accounts, and to "develop and implement a strategy" to shield young people from exposure to harmful material.

Sites who fail to comply can be fined up to $10,000 per violation, and, in certain cases, could face criminal penalties.

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"While we are disappointed with the Supreme Court's decision today on our emergency application, NetChoice remains confident we will succeed at ultimately striking down Mississippi’s I.D.-for-Speech law," NetChoice stated.

While we are disappointed with the Supreme Court's decision today on our emergency application, NetChoice remains confident we will succeed at ultimately striking down Mississippi’s I.D.-for-Speech law. pic.twitter.com/JAr0x2mntp

— NetChoice (@NetChoice) August 14, 2025

NBC News noted:

NetChoice argued in court papers that the restrictions violate free speech protections under the Constitution’s First Amendment. The group represented six additional platforms in the case: Dreamwidth, Instagram, Nextdoor, Pinterest, Reddit and Snapchat.

Other states, including California, Georgia and Florida, have passed similar laws in recent years and were also challenged, but the Supreme Court has not yet weighed in. On a related issue, the court in June upheld a Texas law seeking to restrict young people's access to pornographic content online.