The Supreme Court’s recent decision upholding a Texas law intended to protect kids from exposure to internet pornography was a win for common sense and common decency.
Perhaps more important, it was a signal that technology companies, especially social media and online entertainment distributors, might have lost a little of the generous legal cover that has permitted them to act with near impunity in ways that brick-and-mortar operations could never dream of.
The question at hand revolved around Texas House Bill 1181, authored by Rep. Matt Shaheen, R-Prosper, and signed into law in 2023.
The law requires that websites where more than one-third of the content is “sexual material harmful to minors” verify the age of viewers through either a government ID or a valid transactional document that includes proof of age.