Credit: Alyssa Ao

What you need to know:
On Monday, Feb. 26, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) heard the first arguments in a case dealing with citizens’ First Amendment rights, specifically the freedom of speech. The case originated in Florida and Texas, and it aims for social media platforms to have less control over the content that users publish. This case questions whether internet businesses should be allowed to moderate content or censor posts.

After the events of Jan. 6, 2021, some conservatives felt that social media platforms were more involved in the censorship process than they should be. This took place after former president Donald Trump was banned from the social media platform X. Some residents of Florida and Texas felt that only a more liberal perspective was being shown on social media platforms, and as a result, they aimed to decrease censorship rights of internet businesses. The case ultimately worked its way through the judicial system and is now being heard by SCOTUS.

Why it matters:
SCOTUS’ ruling will dictate social media usage in the U.S.. In the U.S., there are roughly 239 million social media users. Social media is used for purposes ranging from online shopping to discussing politics. Variables in this case include how social media is used and what occurs within a social media platform. It is possible that SCOTUS will send this case back down to lower courts, but a ruling could determine the role that both the government and companies have in what gets published on social media.

The results of this case could change the restrictions on social media and who the role of censorship falls on – the government or private businesses. Social media has become a source of news for some people, so potential censorship could impact the integrity of social media for news purposes. The government and private businesses may have differing views on what misinformation is or what content needs to be censored, so deciphering who has the ultimate authority is the central idea of this case.

What are other sources to look at?

“Takeaways From the Supreme Court Arguments on Social Media Laws” – New York Times

“Takeaways from the Supreme Court’s arguments on Texas and Florida’s social media laws and the First Amendment” – CNN

“Supreme Court to decide if states can control fate of social media” – Washington Post