As age verification legislation spreads worldwide, it raises significant First Amendment concerns regarding censorship framed as child safety. This trend empowers governments to dictate what constitutes 'safe' material for online access, targeting broadly defined topics, particularly LGBTQ+ content. The vagueness of age verification laws allows for potential censorship, affecting access to crucial educational resources such as sex education and R-rated media. Ongoing legal challenges, like Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton, emphasize the detrimental impact on adults' free speech rights while reflecting the inherent risks of legislative overreach in regulating online content.
These age verification laws, while framed as child safety measures, effectively function as censorship and threaten the free speech rights of adults online.
Legislators may use these laws to target LGBTQ+ content under the guise of protecting minors, leading to broader censorship of diverse topics.
The vagueness of terms like 'sexual material harmful to minors' allows for excessive governmental power in determining which sites and materials are accessible.
In practice, the impact of age verification laws can extend beyond pornography to encompass vital educational resources and discussions about LGBTQ+ issues.
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