Social Media Lawyer

Social Media Law News

• Texas Sues Snapchat Over Content: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against Snap Inc., alleging that the platform violates the Deceptive Trade Practices Act by exposing minors to inappropriate content and downplaying its addictive nature. The state seeks significant civil penalties and a permanent injunction to prevent the company from advertising its application to children. OUR TAKEAWAY: Legal and compliance teams must recognize that state attorneys general are increasingly using existing consumer protection statutes to aggressively regulate social media algorithms and content moderation practices. Read More →
• Spain’s Teen Social Media Ban: Spain is set to ban social media for children under 16, requiring tech giants to implement robust age-verification systems. The initiative mirrors Australia’s recent legislation and targets systemic risks like mental health issues and illegal content. OUR TAKEAWAY: Companies must urgently transition from self-regulation to verifiable compliance frameworks as global momentum shifts toward strict liability for digital harms to minors. Read More →
• Meta’s nuclear option could be getting a rulebook: Meta has referred a high-profile case involving a permanent account ban to its Oversight Board, seeking formal recommendations on the criteria and processes for permanently disabling users who repeatedly violate community standards. This move aims to standardize enforcement for “severe” violations—such as harassment and hate speech—moving away from opaque, ad-hoc decisions toward a transparent framework that addresses the significant social and economic consequences of digital deplatforming. OUR TAKEAWAY: Platform policy teams should preemptively audit their “three-strike” and termination protocols to ensure they include clear, documented escalation paths and appeal mechanisms, as regulatory expectations for due process in digital governance are rapidly hardening. Read More →
• Instagram denies breach after users receive password reset emails: Instagram confirmed that a technical bug, rather than a security compromise, triggered a wave of unrequested password reset emails to users globally. The company assured the public that no accounts were breached and advised ignoring the erroneous notifications. OUR TAKEAWAY: Companies must rigorously validate automated security notification systems to prevent widespread false alarms, as such incidents can erode user trust and complicate the legal distinction between technical glitches and reportable data breaches. Read More →
• Australia’s Bold Experiment: The World’s First Under-16 Social Media Ban: Australia is set to implement the world’s most comprehensive social media age restriction, which will impose a blanket ban on social media access for children under 16 starting in December 2025; the legislation, which was passed in November 2024, prohibits major platforms like Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram from allowing under-16 Australian users to maintain accounts, regardless of parental consent, and failure to enforce the ban could result in systematic fines of up to AUD $50 million for tech companies, although the challenge remains in implementing a robust and privacy-preserving age verification system. Read More →
• European Commission Fines X 120M Euros for DSA Violations: The European Commission issued its first Digital Services Act enforcement fine, ordering social platform X to pay 120 million euros for breaching transparency obligations tied to its paid blue check system, ad library, and data access for researchers. Regulators found X’s subscription-based blue checkmarks misleading because they suggest account verification without robust identity checks, its advertising repository lacked required detail and accessibility, and its policies and technical barriers effectively blocked qualified researchers from accessing public data needed to study systemic risks. X now faces tight deadlines to fix its verification design and improve ad and research transparency, with the Commission warning that continued noncompliance could trigger additional periodic penalties of up to 6% of global turnover under the DSA. Read More →
• Social Media Giants Must Stand Trial on Youth Addiction Claims: A judge ruled that Meta Platforms Inc., ByteDance Ltd., Alphabet Inc., and Snap Inc. must face trial over allegations that they intentionally designed their social media platforms— including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Snapchat—to addict youths. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Carolyn B. Kuhl denied the companies’ final motions to avoid trial, allowing key claims to proceed after years of legal debate and evidence review. The wave of lawsuits, originating about three years ago, will see users—starting with a California woman alleging addiction and mental health harms—testify beginning January 2026. If plaintiffs prevail, the companies might face billions in damages and be compelled to change platform designs influencing children’s use. This case marks a critical test of social media firms’ legal responsibilities and the scope of protections under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. Read More →
• Trump signs the Take It Down Act into law: President Donald Trump signed the Take It Down Act into law, enacting a bill that will criminalize the distribution of nonconsensual intimate images (NCII) — including AI deepfakes — and require social media platforms to promptly remove them when notified. Read More →