The proposed bill aims to enhance the protection of minors from harmful online content by mandating age verification for websites classified as "covered platforms." It amends existing laws to define terms related to obscenity and harmful material, introduces the concept of "reasonable age verification," and specifies methods for verifying the age of users attempting to access such content. The bill establishes penalties for violations, categorizing them as Class 1 misdemeanors for initial offenses and Class 6 felonies for subsequent violations. Additionally, it outlines the responsibilities of covered platforms regarding the retention of user information and compliance with age verification requirements.

Furthermore, the bill stipulates that if a covered platform fails to comply with the age verification requirements, the attorney general or local state's attorney must provide written notice of the violation before taking legal action. If the platform rectifies the issue within ninety days, it will not face criminal liability for the violation. The bill also allows for civil penalties of up to five thousand dollars per incident for non-compliance, which will be collected by the attorney general or state's attorney and deposited into the state general fund. Importantly, the provisions do not apply to general-purpose search engines, internet service providers, or cloud service providers.

Statutes affected:
Introduced, 01/03/2025: 22-24-27, 22-24-29, 22-24-58