This bill would create a new chapter of Massachusetts General Laws regulating social media use by minors under age 16. It defines “social media” broadly as user-generated-content platforms that allow accounts or profiles, while excluding services primarily used for videoconferencing, email, or education. Under the bill, social media platforms could not allow Massachusetts residents under 16 to create or maintain accounts, and existing accounts held by children under 16 would have to be terminated.
The bill also establishes an age-verification requirement for new accounts. Platforms would need to obtain documentation such as a birth certificate or government-issued identification, use it only for age verification, and not retain copies after verification. The measure further provides that if a verification system has obtained personal data from a source other than the consumer, deleting the consumer’s retained data would satisfy a deletion request under this chapter. Enforcement authority would rest with the attorney general, who could seek injunctions against violations, and the law would take effect immediately upon passage.
Impact
If enacted, the bill would impose new compliance obligations on social media companies operating in Massachusetts, including age-screening, account termination for users under 16, and limits on how identification data may be stored and used. It would add a new chapter, Chapter 93M, to the General Laws and create a state-level enforcement mechanism through the attorney general. The bill would directly affect minors under 16, their parents or guardians, and platforms that host user-generated social networking content, while excluding certain non-social-media services such as videoconferencing, email, and educational platforms.
Sentiment
Based on the bill text and available context, the measure appears to be framed as a child-safety and privacy proposal rather than a partisan or budgetary issue. There is no recorded committee transcript or vote history in the provided materials, so no formal legislative sentiment can be inferred from debate or roll call. The bill’s structure suggests support for stronger regulation of youth access to social media, with emphasis on age verification and account removal.
Contention
The main points of contention likely concern enforceability, privacy, and the burden on platforms and users. Requiring government-issued identification or birth certificates for age verification may raise concerns about data security, identity theft, and whether minors or families would be deterred from lawful online activity. Social media companies may also object to the operational burden of verifying ages, terminating existing accounts, and limiting data retention. Another likely issue is the breadth of the definition of “social media,” which could create disputes over which services are covered and whether the law could sweep in platforms with mixed functions.