Disruption

Calif. kids’ code bill stays on hold: Court

Tech groups cheered the ruling.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta talks during a news conference in San Francisco(AP Photo/Haven Daley)

A landmark California law aimed at making social media sites and other online platforms safer for children will remain on hold after a three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday upheld a portion of a lower court’s earlier injunction.

The 44-page opinion was cheered by NetChoice, a tech industry trade group, that sued to overturn the 2022 law, known formally as the California Age-Appropriate Design Code.

“The court recognized that California’s government cannot commandeer private businesses to censor lawful content online or to restrict access to it,” said Chris Marchese, director of NetChoice’s Litigation Center, in a statement.

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