Child Online Safety Bills Advance in the South

The Louisiana House was scheduled Wednesday to vote on an app store age-verification bill (HB-570) that passed the Commerce Committee on Monday (see 2505050064). On Tuesday, the House unanimously approved a bill that would create a duty of care for online platforms with minor users (see 2505060066). The state Senate hasn’t yet voted on either bill.

In South Carolina, the Senate voted 45-0 Tuesday in favor of HB-3431, a kids social media bill requiring age verification and parental consent. The House previously passed the bill (see 2502200059) but it must vote again to concur with Senate amendments. Also, the legislation would restrict kids’ access to social media during certain hours and give parents information about their child’s usage of social media and access to privacy settings.

Up in North Carolina, the House voted 106-6 Tuesday for HB-301, another age-verification bill meant to create social media protections for minors (see 2504150013). The bill arrived Wednesday in the Senate.

Meanwhile, out west, Arizona's Senate voted 18-10 Tuesday to pass HB-2112, which seeks to prevent minors from accessing porn websites by requiring companies to confirm their age (see 2501290015). Senators amended the bill so it must return to the House, which had previously passed it by a 44-15 margin.