Bloomberg Law Report Links 'Addiction' Lawsuits Against Meta, Age Verification Battles

Bloomberg Law Report Links 'Addiction' Lawsuits Against Meta, Age Verification Battles

SAN FRANCISCO — Bloomberg Law published a report on Thursday, linking the onslaught of federal and state lawsuits against Meta over the supposed addictive nature of Instagram and Facebook with the anti-porn “age verification” controversies around the country.

These new politically-driven lawsuits against the platform giant, writes Bloomberg Law’s Tonya Riley, “will likely accelerate an already roiling national debate over how internet companies should limit access by minors to harmful content.”

Riley notes that the attorneys general in a joint federal suit, filed by 33 states, argued that Meta could have used “feasible alternative age verification methods” such as “requiring young users to submit student IDs upon registration,” adding that political pressure has resulted in “a flood of opportunities for companies that collect forms of identification or use advanced facial recognition, known as age estimation, to verify a user’s age.”

This, in turn, has triggered privacy concerns, and also First Amendment challenges.

“You’re going to see a very, very robust battle between the governments and Meta as to whether or not various forms of age verification are practical, deployable at scale, and effectively able to avoid compromise,” legal expert Matthew Woods told Bloomberg Law. “And that’s a technical question that I think the courts are going to have to wrestle with.”

The argument that Meta could have used age verification to prevent underaged user access, Riley notes, “puts the state attorneys general in the middle of a growing fight over the role of age-verification technologies in keeping minors away from harmful content.”

The epicenter of that ongoing fight is the flurry of anti-porn “age verification laws” peddled around the country by religious conservative politicians, though with broad bipartisan support.

As XBIZ has been reporting, leading conservative anti-porn crusaders have admitted that the state-by-state age verification laws are merely a steppingstone in an organized effort to ban all adult content online and revive obscenity prosecutions.

“Industry and free speech critics say such laws violate user’s First Amendment rights,” Riley explains. “Federal judges have paused the Arkansas, Texas, and California laws as legal challenges against them proceed, while a case against the Louisiana porn law was thrown out by a federal judge earlier this month.”

“The timing is really interesting in light of this line of cases we’ve gotten reaffirming the First Amendment issues with age verification,” Bailey Sanchez, senior counsel with the Future of Privacy Forum, told Bloomberg Law. Sanchez also warned about “serious privacy implications.”

To read “Meta’s Dispute Over Addicted Kids Reignites Age-Proofing Fight,” visit BloombergLaw.com.

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

Hentaied Founder Romero 'Mr. Alien' on Fetish, Fantasy and Finding Order in Chaos

A sharp sting pierces the woman’s skin. Something foreign slips beneath the surface. Eggs, maybe. She doesn’t know it yet, but soon her body will become a vessel, a hive, a source of contamination.

AEBN Publishes Popular Searches for July, August

AEBN has published the top search terms for the months of July and August from its straight and gay theaters in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

The Guardian Devotes Feature Article to XBIZ Amsterdam

British newspaper The Guardian sent a reporter to cover XBIZ Amsterdam earlier this month, resulting in a lengthy article about the annual European adult industry conference.

Pineapple Support Taps Char Borley as Brand Ambassador

Pineapple Support has named Char Borley as its newest brand ambassador.

Michigan Legislators Propose Online Porn Ban

Michigan lawmakers have introduced a bill that would make it illegal to distribute pornography via the internet in the state.

Florida AG Sues Aylo, Segpay Over State AV Law

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier filed lawsuits against Aylo and Segpay on Monday with the 12th Judicial Circuit Court of Florida for noncompliance with HB3, the state's age verification law.

Colombian Court Sides with Performer Esperanza Goméz Over IG Suspensions

Colombia’s Constitutional Court last week ruled in favor of adult performer Esperanza Gómez in her legal battle against Meta over repeated suspensions of her Instagram account.

Missouri AG Announces Age Verification Rule to Take Effect Nov. 30

Newly appointed Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway announced Friday that the state's recently approved age verification regulation for adult websites will go into effect on Nov. 30.

Aylo, Woodhull Freedom Foundation to Tackle Online Censorship in Virtual Seminar

Aylo and Woodhull Freedom Foundation will co-host a virtual panel addressing online censorship on Sept. 30.

Severe Sex Films Relaunches Site Through YourPaysitePartner

Severe Sex Films has relaunched its official website through YourPaysitePartner (YPP).

Show More