Bhojani Social Media Bill Lets Parents Get Kids’ Accounts Deleted

The text as introduced · 460 words

89R13746 BCH-D

By: Bhojani
H.B. No. 4456

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to requiring social media platforms to verify the age of

account holders on the platform.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Chapter 120, Business & Commerce Code, is

amended by adding Subchapter C-1 to read as follows:

SUBCHAPTER C-1. USER AGE VERIFICATION

Sec. 120.111. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter:

(1) "Account holder" means a resident of this state

who opens an account or creates a profile or is identified by the

social media platform by a unique identifier while using or

accessing a social media platform.

(2) "Child" means an individual who is younger than 18

years of age.

Sec. 120.112. ACCOUNT AND VERIFICATION REQUIREMENTS. (a)

A social media platform shall verify the age of a person seeking to

become an account holder before accepting the person as an account

holder.

(b) A social media platform must use a commercially

reasonable method that relies on public or private transactional

data to verify the age of an individual as required under Subsection

(a).

(c) Personal information obtained under Subsection (b) may

only be used for age verification purposes and may not be retained,

used, transmitted, or otherwise conveyed, regardless of whether

consideration is given for the information. The social media

platform must delete personal information immediately upon

completion of the age verification process.

Sec. 120.113. REQUESTED REMOVAL OF ACCOUNT. (a) Not later

than the 10th day after receiving a request from a parent or

guardian verified by a social media platform under Section 509.101,

the platform shall delete the account of the parent's or guardian's

child and cease the further use or maintenance in retrievable form,

or future online collection, of personal information collected from

the child's account, on all of its platforms.

(b) A social media platform must provide a reasonable,

accessible, and verifiable means by which a parent or guardian may

make a request under Subsection (a).

Sec. 120.114. ENFORCEMENT. (a) A social media platform

violates this subchapter if the platform knowingly:

(1) fails to verify a person's age before accepting the

person as an account holder;

(2) misuses personal information in violation of

Section 120.112(c); or

(3) fails to remove an account as required by Section

120.113.

(b) A violation of this subchapter by a social media

platform is considered a deceptive trade practice under Chapter 17

and subject to action by the consumer protection division of the

attorney general's office under Sections 17.47, 17.58, 17.60, and

17.61.

SECTION 2. Subchapter C-1, Chapter 120, Business & Commerce

Code, as added by this Act, applies only to access to a social media

platform on or after January 1, 2026.

SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.