Question

The case of Brown v. Board of Education affected the lives of millions of American

young people because it dealt specifically with the institution of public education. Today,
there are many other issues that would directly affect many millions of young Americans
if they were central to a Supreme Court decision. For instance, imagine a hypothetical
Supreme Court case about a state law that made it illegal for minors to use social media
because social media was classified as “a threat to their psychological well-being.”
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• How might a Supreme Court ruling to uphold the state law barring minors from using
social media affect young Americans? How might such a ruling affect social media
companies? What might be some of the unintended consequences of such a ruling?
• Considering what you have learned about the Constitution, why is it very unlikely that
the Supreme Court would ever uphold a law barring young people from using social
media?

Answer 1

1. Effects of the Ruling:

A ruling upholding a state law barring minors from using social media would significantly alter young Americans' social lives and information access. Social media companies would lose a large user base, leading to revenue loss and the need for age verification systems. Unintended consequences might include the rise of alternative platforms for minors and possibly risky behaviors like age falsification.

2. Constitutional Issues:

A law banning social media use by minors would likely face constitutional challenges based on First Amendment rights to freedom of speech and expression, the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, and the right to receive information inherent in First Amendment protections. It's unlikely the Supreme Court would uphold such a broad restriction on young people's rights.