An Act to Regulate Social Media Use by Minors Under 16 Years of Age

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132nd MAINE LEGISLATURE
FIRST REGULAR SESSION-2025
Legislative Document No. 844
H.P. 530 House of Representatives, March 4, 2025
An Act to Regulate Social Media Use by Minors Under 16 Years of
Age
Reference to the Committee on Housing and Economic Development suggested and
ordered printed.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative FREDETTE of Newport.

Page 1 - 132LR0945(01)
1Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
2Sec. 1. 10 MRSA c. 239 is enacted to read:
3CHAPTER 239
4SOCIAL MEDIA SAFETY FOR MINORS
5§1500-Z. Definitions
6 As used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise indicates, the following terms
7 have the following meanings.
81. Account holder. "Account holder" means a person who has an account or profile
9 to use a social media company's social media platform.
102. Minor. "Minor" has the same meaning as in Title 18-C, section 5-102, subsection
11 18.
123. Parent. "Parent" has the same meaning as in Title 19-A, section 101, subsection 8.
134. Post. "Post" means content that an account holder makes available on a social media
14 platform for other account holders to consume.
155. Social media company. "Social media company" means a person that is an
16 interactive computer service and that provides a social media platform.
176. Social media platform. "Social media platform" means a website or Internet
18 application that:
19 A. Allows a person to create an account; and
20 B. Enables an account holder to communicate with other account holders through
21 posts.
22§1500-AA. Use of social media platform; age requirements
231. Age verification. A social media company must verify the age of an individual who
24 attempts to become an account holder.
252. Individuals under 14 years of age. A social media company may not allow an
26 individual who is a minor under 14 years of age to become an account holder or remain an
27 account holder.
283. Individuals who are 14 or 15 years of age. If an individual is a minor who is 14
29 or 15 years of age, the social media company must verify that express parental consent has
30 been provided pursuant to section 1500-BB for the minor to become an account holder or
31 remain an account holder.
32§1500-BB. Parental consent; requirements
331. Verification of parental consent. To verify parental consent for an individual who
34 is 14 or 15 years of age to become or remain an account holder, a social media company
35 must require the individual's parent to provide:
36 A. A government-issued identification document; and
Page 2 - 132LR0945(01)
1 B. Documentation verifying parental authorization.
22. Retention and revocation of parental consent. Upon receipt of parental consent
3 in accordance with subsection 1, a social media company shall retain those records for no
4 less than 2 years. A social media company shall provide an easily accessible method for a
5 parent to revoke parental consent and to request the termination of the individual's account
6 for which the parent provided the consent.
7§1500-CC. Applicability
8 This chapter does not prohibit access to educational platforms or services specifically
9 designed for minors, as long as such platforms are not primarily social media platforms.
10§1500-DD. Parental right to report
11 A parent or guardian of a minor who believes that the minor has been permitted to
12 become an account holder of a social media company in violation of this chapter may file
13 a complaint against the social media company with the Office of the Attorney General.
14§1500-EE. Enforcement; penalties
15 The Attorney General shall enforce the provisions of this chapter. A social media
16 company that violates a provision of this chapter is subject to the following civil penalties
17 recoverable by the Attorney General in a civil action.
181. No prior violations; penalty. A social media company that has no previous
19 violations of this chapter may be fined an amount not to exceed $10,000 per violation.
202. Prior violation; penalty. A social media company that is found to have a previous
21 violation of this chapter may be fined an amount not to exceed $25,000 per violation.
22§1500-FF. Rulemaking
23 The Office of the Attorney General shall adopt rules to implement this chapter. Rules
24 must include, but are not limited to, procedures for verifying account holder age and
25 parental consent. Rules adopted pursuant to this section are routine technical rules as
26 defined in Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A.
27Sec. 2. Effective date. This Act takes effect January 1, 2026.
28SUMMARY
29 This bill requires social media companies to prohibit individuals under 14 years of age
30 from becoming or remaining an account holder. The bill requires social media companies
31 to verify the age of an individual who attempts to become an account holder and requires
32 social media companies to obtain and verify parental consent of social media account
33 holders who are 14 or 15 years of age. The bill requires the Attorney General to enforce
34 these provisions and stipulates the penalties recoverable by the Attorney General. The bill
35 also directs the Office of the Attorney General to adopt rules to implement the age
36 verification and parental consent processes.
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