Technology (Online Safety)

This bill establishes new rules for how social media platforms must operate when users are minors. It requires platforms to implement specific restrictions on accounts held by young people and mandates that these companies follow certain safety requirements. Additionally, the legislation outlines a process where the state attorney general can take legal action against platforms that fail to comply with these rules or engage in unfair business practices. The text also includes minor administrative changes to the bill's structure, such as renumbering sections and adjusting punctuation.

HB 134 requires interactive computer services (like social media platforms) that create accounts for minors to stop delivering or displaying material defined as harmful to minors (per existing law) and to avoid using algorithms to promote such content to minors. It prohibits platforms from creating or developing harmful material for minors' accounts and bans algorithmic amplification of such content. Violations can result in civil fines up to $10,000 per incident, but platforms get 45 days to fix issues before enforcement begins. Fines collected fund consumer protection efforts, and the law takes effect January 1, 2027.