How State Laws Meant to Protect Children Raise Other Privacy and Constitutional Risks

Explore a thought-provoking conference talk that examines the complex relationship between state legislation aimed at protecting children online and its unintended consequences. Delve into how recent laws passed in Tennessee, Maryland, Virginia, Georgia, Utah, and Florida, focusing on children's privacy and social media restrictions, may inadvertently create new privacy concerns. Learn about the paradoxical requirement for companies to collect sensitive personal information to identify young users in order to implement these protective measures. Analyze the First Amendment implications and legal challenges these laws face, with particular attention to California's Age Appropriate Design Code Act. Through the lens of privacy advocacy and constitutional rights, understand the delicate balance between safeguarding children's online privacy and maintaining fundamental freedoms, while considering potential solutions for more effective youth protection in the digital age.