Technology (Social Media)

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.

This bill establishes new rules in Louisiana to protect minors from potential harm while using companion chatbots, which are AI systems designed to simulate human conversation and relationships. It requires these platforms to obtain explicit consent from a parent or guardian before a minor can create an account and grants parents specific controls, such as monitoring chat history, limiting daily usage, and receiving alerts if the child expresses intent to self-harm. Additionally, the law mandates that platforms clearly inform users they are interacting with artificial intelligence, automatically terminate accounts for minors without parental consent, and permanently delete personal data upon account closure. Companies that knowingly or recklessly violate these provisions could face civil penalties, legal action by the state attorney general, and lawsuits from affected minors.

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.