Tech Giants Challenge Nebraska’s New Social Media Law
In a significant legal move, NetChoice, representing major social media platforms like TikTok and Meta, has initiated a lawsuit against Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers concerning a new social media age verification mandate.
The contentious law, known as the Parental Rights in Social Media Act, is set to be enforced starting July 1. Passed by the Nebraska Legislature in 2025, it mandates all social media entities to confirm the age of users before account creation, potentially infringing on First Amendment rights, according to the lawsuit filed last week.
One of the core requirements of the law is that minors can only open social media accounts with explicit parental approval. This consent involves both parental age verification and a signed form submitted to the platform, with provisions allowing parents to withdraw consent. Additionally, social media firms must offer a parental dashboard to monitor the minor’s activities, including posts and private messages.
The law’s enforcement falls under the purview of Attorney General Hilgers, with penalties for non-compliance reaching $2,500 per infraction.
NetChoice, whose membership encompasses key players like Meta, TikTok, Snapchat, X (formerly Twitter), Reddit, Google, and YouTube, argues that the law’s stringent requirements could compel platforms to limit access for Nebraska residents. “Compliance would require, among other things, systems for collecting or verifying user age; identifying Nebraska users; obtaining, authenticating, recording, and revoking parental consent; verifying parental identity and age; creating parental-access dashboards; exposing posts, responses, and messages to parents; maintaining records sufficient to defend against enforcement; and redesigning privacy, security, trust-and-safety, and user-support workflows,” the complaint states, highlighting the potential for privacy and security issues.
The lawsuit targets the age verification, parental consent, and monitoring elements of the legislation, seeking a permanent injunction to halt their enforcement. NetChoice has previously contested similar laws in Arkansas and Louisiana.
The act was passed with a 46-3 vote in May 2025, introduced by Sen. Tanya Storer following Governor Jim Pillen’s request. Storer emphasized the legislation as a “major step in freeing our children from the claws of big tech” in a statement.
The legal proceedings are under the jurisdiction of Senior U.S. District Court Judge John Gerrard, appointed by former President Barack Obama. The Nebraska Attorney General’s Office has yet to comment, and a formal response from Hilgers is pending.
