www.thecentersquare.com – By Kim Jarrett | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-05-01 09:15:00
(The Center Square) – Georgia is the latest state facing a legal challenge over a law that requires social media companies to verify a user’s age.
Lawmakers said Senate Bill 351, signed into law by Gov. Brian Kemp in 2024, is designed to protect minors from cyberbullying and bad online actors.
“The health and safety of our children should always be a parent’s number one priority,” Lt. Governor Burt Jones said in a statement after the bill’s signing. “I am proud to have prioritized this legislation to help protect our children online and combat the very serious epidemic of cyberbullying which plagues this country.”
But the bill could have the opposite effect from lawmakers’ intention of protecting minors and their families, said Paul Taske, NetChoice Associate Director of Litigation in an interview with The Center Square. The company, a trade organization representing apps like Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, is challenging the law in a case filed in the U.S. Northern District of Georgia on Thursday.
“I think what we said form the onset of all these cases to all of these state legislatures making this argument is that we think it’s really important to protect minors and everyone online, but we think in order to accomplish that goal, lawmakers have to do it with the First Amendment in mind, Taske said. “Unconstitutional laws won’t protect anyone because they’ll end up being struck down in court.”
The company has successfully challenged similar laws in Arkansas and Ohio with judges have siding with NetChoice, saying the laws violate the First Amendment. Lawsuits are also pending in Tennessee and Louisiana.
The Georgia law requires children under the age of 16 to get parental consent before using social media sites. The requirement could give companies a “honeypot” of data, according to Taske. He cited an Experian study that shows 25 children will experience identity theft before the age of 18.
“When the government is mandating that another source of information be collected and a repository created of this sensitive information to verify people’s ages, their identities and their relationships to their parents, that creates a ‘treasure trove’ or a ‘honeypot,’ whatever you want to call it of sensitive information,” Taske said.
Taske said if lawmakers are concerned about online safety, they can take a couple of different approaches.
“Law enforcement are of course the best line of defense for going after criminals and lawbreakers in any realm of criminal activity and that doesn’t change just become it’s happening online,” Taske said. “Whether that’s additional funding for monitoring or setting up special task forces for dealing with cybercrime.”
Education is also a “powerful tool,” Taske said.
“In addition to educating the younger users in the classroom, we think that it would be excellent for the government to allocate some funds to educate parents as well,” he said.
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
The article primarily reports on a legal challenge to a new law in Georgia that requires social media companies to verify users’ ages, citing the positions of both proponents and opponents of the legislation. It presents the argument from Lt. Governor Burt Jones and other lawmakers who champion the bill as necessary for protecting minors from cyberbullying, emphasizing their focus on children’s health and safety.
However, the article also gives significant space to the views of Paul Taske, a representative of NetChoice, which opposes the law. His concerns focus on constitutional issues related to First Amendment rights and the potential creation of a “honeypot” of sensitive personal data. This suggests the article strives for a balanced representation of the viewpoints involved, without overtly advocating for one side over the other.
The piece does not clearly adopt an ideological stance but provides ample details on both the support and opposition to the law. The inclusion of NetChoice’s perspective and the critical examination of the law’s potential effects on privacy align the article with more neutral, factual reporting. The tone does not strongly favor one political side, making it a Center-Right analysis, reflecting a more cautious or conservative approach to government regulation and privacy concerns.
Georgia’s Capitol is undergoing a $392 million renovation, including restoration of the historic Gold Dome and updates to the House and Senate chambers with local materials like Dalton-made carpet and Dahlonega gold. Lawmakers’ offices are also being expanded in a new building featuring a skybridge connecting to the Capitol, though preservationists oppose the bridge. The original two-story Capitol library will be restored for public use and meetings. The project, emphasizing historical accuracy, will add modern amenities like USB ports to desks, and aims for completion by the end of 2027 without disrupting the next legislative session.
Lawmakers may be gone, but work is still being accomplished underneath Georgia’s Gold Dome this summer. With legislators away, architects have started to give both the House and Senate chambers a makeover.
A restoration expert repairs artistic details on the ceiling of the Georgia House chamber. Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder
Construction is also underway across the street, where a new legislative office is being built to house lawmaker offices and committee rooms. Both projects are a part of a $392 million renovation plan the Georgia General Assembly approved last year.
The Gold Dome has been a symbol of the state since its construction in 1889. Renovation plans are designed to preserve this history while simultaneously celebrating a new chapter.
“It’s a place of history as well as a place of government, and so the building itself should reflect that,” said Timothy Crimmins, co-author of “Democracy Restored: A History of the Georgia State Capitol.”
When the state Capitol was initially constructed, there was a strict $1 million dollar budget and a requirement that Georgia materials should be utilized when possible. Financial restraints made it difficult to locally source some construction materials. This led to Indiana limestone being used for the exterior of the Capitol and European carpets being imported for interior chambers.
The current renovation of the Capitol is being done in the same spirit. Backed by a $83 million restoration budget for the historic Capitol building alone, the project has already incorporated local materials from floor to ceiling.
Shaw Floors, a Dalton-based company, made the new carpet being installed in both the House and Senate chambers. Long dubbed the “Carpet Capital of the World,” Dalton is known for producing between 85 to 90% of U.S. carpet, according to state Rep. Kasey Carpenter, a Republican who represents Dalton.
“It’s a sense of pride obviously for northwest Georgia to make sure that we have a place in the Capitol,” Carpenter said.
A close-up of a nearly finished portion of the House chamber ceiling. Jill Nolin/Georgia Recorder
Dalton isn’t the only city that has found a place to shine at the Capitol. Dahlonega gold was used last year when Georgia’s iconic dome was regilded during initial renovation stages.
While a lot of change has happened at the Capitol since 1889, Gerald Pilgrim, the Georgia Building Authority chief of staff who is overseeing renovations, said he hopes that by the end of the project, the Capitol will look and feel a lot like its early days.
To bring this vision back to life, Pilgrim and his team have emphasized historical accuracy by hiring historical preservation architects and a preservationist subtractor. Together, even small details like lighting and color schemes have been fact checked. Numerous light studies were conducted after restoring chandeliers from the 1900s to ensure that each bulb emits an appropriate glow.
Lawmakers’ desks are currently being refinished and will all receive a new USB port before returning to the Capitol. Chairs have been replaced with replicas, but old chairs will be kept in storage and be made available by seat-holder’s request.
Skybridge debate lingers
Construction at the new legislative office building has progressed and is on track to be finished by the end of next year.
“At the (Coverdell building) the offices were very small and cramped,” Pilgrim said. “Everybody’s (new) office is going to be the same size. They’re all going to be 226 square feet, which is about double what they currently have, and all (offices) have a window view of either the Capitol or downtown Atlanta, there’s not an obstructed view in the building.”
The Georgia House chamber filled with scaffolding for a renovation. Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder
The eight-story building will also feature a skybridge meant to create an accessible way to move between the new offices on Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. SW and the Capitol building.
Constructing a bridge or tunnel has been a decades-long conversation at the statehouse. Crimmins said an earlier proposal to add a bridge from the Capitol to the current legislative office across Mitchell Street was ultimately rejected. Officials instead reduced traffic with street closures.
When conversations about a skybridge reemerged, the idea was met with concerns from preservationists. Pilgrim said the Georgia Building Authority considered alternatives before deciding that the skybridge was the best option.
“We looked at doing a tunnel with the cost being about four times more expensive,” Pilgrim said. “But more importantly, the tunnel was not going to improve accessibility.”
To address preservationists’ concerns, Pilgrim said the skybridge will bear its own weight and won’t require any demolition. This allows the bridge to be easily removed in future years if the project does not prove to be as successful as anticipated. Construction will use similar materials that match the Capitol’s existing aesthetic and include arches that mimic the building’s renaissance style architecture.
David Mitchell, executive director of the Atlanta Preservation Center, has been a vocal opponent of the skybridge. Comparing it to a “bizarre umbilical cord,” he argues that claims of improved accessibility are ironic considering the limited public awareness and outreach about renovations.
“You’re telling me you’re spending $10 million for something to be used for four months, if even,” Mitchell said, referring to the skybridge. “It’s not like it’s being used 12 months out of the year, and is helping multiple handicapped accessible people. We’re not talking about something like an ADA compliance, we’re talking about during the session when the greatest usage of this will take place.”
Despite continued debate over the skybridge, construction was approved in June when the Atlanta City Council signed over the air rights that will allow the bridge to be built next year.
Original library will be restored
A photo of the original state Capitol library. Photo provided by Gerald Pilgrim
If entering the Capitol from the skybridge, pedestrians will be welcomed through a soon-to-be-restored state library that was part of the original Capitol. The two-story library will bring a variety of books back to the statehouse and offer additional meeting spaces for public affairs.
The library was converted into office space around 1910 and was completely eliminated by 1950, according to Pilgrim. After the restoration, the current offices and copy room occupying the space will relocate to the first floor. An observation space is planned to give visitors a chance to watch the restoration process.
“We’ll have Plexiglas partitions in there so when school groups come in and tour, they’re going to see the artisans in there doing the work,” Pilgrim said.
Renovations and new construction are all on track to be completed by the end of 2027. The three-year project is not expected to interfere with next year’s legislative session.
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Georgia Recorder is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Georgia Recorder maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jill Nolin for questions: info@georgiarecorder.com.
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Centrist
This article presents a factual, neutral account of the Georgia State Capitol renovation project. It focuses on the historical significance, architectural details, and practical aspects of the renovation and new construction, without expressing ideological opinions or favoring any political perspective. The inclusion of quotes from bipartisan sources, such as a Republican state representative and preservation experts, along with balanced coverage of debates around the skybridge, supports an objective and informative tone. Overall, the content adheres to straightforward reporting on government infrastructure updates without exhibiting discernible political bias.
www.youtube.com – FOX 5 Atlanta – 2025-08-03 19:08:19
SUMMARY: One week after a mass shooting on Edgewood Avenue in Atlanta that left one dead and 10 injured, religious and community leaders call for action to improve safety in the Sweet Auburn neighborhood. The shooting, sparked by an argument, has left residents fearful. Bishop Bobby Lee Graham Jr. urges establishing a police precinct at Selena Butler Park, where a facility remains unused. City officials have met with residents and plan legislation to create a task force to combat violence. Community leaders also advocate for gun buyback programs and youth initiatives to foster growth and safety in the historic area.
Religious leaders in the Sweet Auburn neighborhood of Atlanta are helping the community begin to heal one week after a mass shooting killed one and injured 10 others. Some are calling for a police precinct to be put in the area to keep the community safe.
FOX 5 Atlanta delivers breaking news, live events, investigations, politics, entertainment, business news and local stories from metro Atlanta, north Georgia and across the nation.
www.youtube.com – FOX 5 Atlanta – 2025-08-03 17:13:14
SUMMARY: A woman and her nine-year-old daughter were rescued from a lake in Stone Mountain Park after the girl slipped into the water. Neither could swim. The daughter fell while walking on slippery rocks, and the mother jumped in to save her. The girl’s brother, who could swim, pulled her out, but couldn’t reach the mother. The father and a police officer helped rescue the mother, who was underwater for four minutes and required CPR. The daughter was taken to a children’s hospital as a precaution and was fine. The mother remained in serious condition in ICU. Authorities urge caution around the lake’s slippery areas.
A mother and daughter were rescued from Stone Mountain Lake on Saturday afternoon after the 9-year-old girl slipped into the water, according to officials. A family of five was hiking on an offshoot of a trail when the girl slipped in and her mother jumped in after her. Neither the mother nor daughter could swim. Family members called 911 and jumped in to save them.
FOX 5 Atlanta delivers breaking news, live events, investigations, politics, entertainment, business news and local stories from metro Atlanta, north Georgia and across the nation.
