Document ID: ./input/supremecourt_opinions/opinions/23pdf/22-277_d18f.pdf
Page Number: 11

Cite as:  603 U. S. ____ (2024) 

5 

Opinion of the Court 

cases,  given  the  facial  nature  of  NetChoice’s  challenges.
But  that  work  must  be  done  consistent  with  the  First 
Amendment, which does not go on leave when social media 
are involved. 

I 
As  commonly  understood,  the  term  “social  media  plat-
forms” typically refers to websites and mobile apps that al-
low  users  to  upload  content—messages,  pictures,  videos,
and so on—to share with others.  Those viewing the content 
can then react to it, comment on it, or share it themselves. 
The  biggest  social-media  companies—entities  like  Face-
book  and  YouTube—host  a  staggering  amount  of  content.
Facebook  users,  for  example,  share  more  than  100  billion
messages every day.  See App. in No. 22–555, at 67a.  And 
YouTube sees more than 500 hours of video uploaded every
minute.  See ibid. 

In the face of that deluge, the major platforms cull and
organize uploaded posts in a variety of ways.  A user does 
not  see  everything—even  everything  from  the  people  she 
follows—in reverse-chronological order.  The platforms will
have  removed  some  content  entirely;  ranked  or  otherwise
prioritized what remains; and sometimes added warnings
or  labels.
  Of  particular  relevance  here,  Facebook  and 
YouTube make some of those decisions in conformity with
content-moderation  policies  they  call  Community  Stand-
ards and Community Guidelines.  Those rules list the sub-
jects  or  messages  the  platform  prohibits  or  discourages—
say, pornography, hate speech, or misinformation on select 
topics.  The rules thus lead Facebook and YouTube to re-
move,  disfavor,  or  label  various  posts  based  on  their  con-
tent. 

In  2021,  Florida  and  Texas  enacted  statutes  regulating 
internet platforms, including the large social-media compa-
nies just mentioned.  The States’ laws differ in the entities 
they cover and the activities they limit.  But both contain