Judge blocks California law meant to protect children's online safety

A federal judge on Monday blocked California from enforcing a law meant to protect children when they use the internet.

A federal judge on Monday blocked California from enforcing a law meant to protect children when they use the internet, saying the law's commercial speech restrictions likely violate the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment.

In granting a preliminary injunction, U.S. District Judge Beth Labson Freeman in San Jose, California, said she was "keenly aware of the myriad harms that may befall children on the internet," but California's law swept too broadly.

The law, known as California Age-Appropriate Design Code Act, was passed unanimously last September by the state legislature and signed by Governor Gavin Newsom. It requires platforms, before releasing any online products and services, to assess whether their offerings could harm children.

Businesses must also estimate the ages of child users and configure privacy settings for them, or else provide high settings for everyone.

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The law, modeled after a similar law in the United Kingdom, is scheduled to take effect next July 1.

NetChoice, a trade group whose members include Amazon.com , Alphabet's Google, Facebook parent Meta Platforms and ByteDance's TikTok, sued last December to block the law.