Mississippi Social Media Literacy and Online Safety Act; create.

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To: Technology; Judiciary A
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026

By: Representative Nelson

HOUSE BILL NO. 1570

AN ACT TO CREATE THE "MISSISSIPPI SOCIAL MEDIA LITERACY AND 1
ONLINE SAFETY ACT"; TO REQUIRE COMPLETION OF A SOCIAL MEDIA 2
LITERACY COURSE BEFORE INITIAL OR CONTINUED USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA 3
PLATFORMS BY MINORS; TO PROVIDE FOR DEVELOPMENT OF THE COURSE BY 4
THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION IN COORDINATION WITH THE 5
MISSISSIPPI DEPARTMENT OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES; TO 6
ESTABLISH A DIVERSIONARY CONSEQUENCE PROGRAM FOR REPEATED ONLINE 7
MISCONDUCT; TO PROTECT CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS AND CLARIFY THAT THE 8
ACT DOES NOT REGULATE OR RESTRICT ONLINE SPEECH; TO PROVIDE 9
ENFORCEMENT, RULEMAKING AUTHORITY AND PENALTIES; AND FOR RELATED 10
PURPOSES. 11
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 12
SECTION 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the 13
"Mississippi Social Media Literacy and Online Safety Act". 14
SECTION 2. (1) The Legislature finds that: 15
(a) Social media platforms are central to communication 16
and social development among Mississippi youth; 17
(b) Misuse of social media, including cyberbullying and 18
harassment, has been associated with depression, anxiety and 19
suicide among minors; 20
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(c) Education, not censorship, is the most effective 21
method to ensure safe and responsible participation in digital 22
environments; and 23
(d) It is in the public interest to establish a 24
state-administered social media literacy program to prepare minors 25
for the responsibilities and risks associated with online 26
interaction. 27
(2) The purpose of this act is to educate and protect minors 28
through preventive literacy instruction and consequence-based 29
re-education following online misconduct. 30
SECTION 3. (1) The State Department of Education, in 31
coordination with the Mississippi Department of Information 32
Technology Services, shall develop and maintain a Social Media 33
Literacy and Online Safety Course. 34
(2) The course shall include, but not be limited to, 35
instruction on: 36
(a) Responsible digital communication and empathy 37
online; 38
(b) Recognizing and preventing cyberbullying, scams and 39
misinformation; 40
(c) Mental health awareness related to social media 41
use; 42
(d) Digital privacy, data protection and online 43
security; and 44
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(e) Understanding the legal and social consequences of 45
online misconduct. 46
(3) The course shall be made available online, without cost, 47
in age-appropriate modules for minors and optional modules for 48
parents or guardians. 49
(4) The departments may collaborate with accredited 50
universities, nonprofit organizations and recognized experts in 51
education, psychology and information technology to design the 52
course content. 53
SECTION 4. (1) On and after July 1, 2027, any person under 54
the age of eighteen (18) residing in this state shall complete the 55
Social Media Literacy and Online Safety Course developed under 56
Section 3 of this act before activating or maintaining an account 57
on a social media platform. 58
(2) Social media platforms operating in Mississippi shall 59
provide a course verification option through an interface approved 60
by the Department of Information Technology Services. 61
(3) A parent or legal guardian must consent to the minor's 62
course completion and account activation in accordance with state 63
and federal law. 64
(4) Nothing in this act shall be construed to limit or 65
restrict any individual's right to free expression under the First 66
Amendment to the United States Constitution or Section 13 of the 67
Mississippi Constitution of 1890; the requirements of this act are 68
educational and protective and not intended to regulate speech 69
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content or viewpoint. Nothing in this act shall modify any 70
obligations of social media platforms and providers already 71
established under state and federal law. 72
SECTION 5. (1) Upon notification by a social media platform 73
that a Mississippi minor user has violated the platform's policies 74
regarding harassment, bullying or online abuse, the user shall be 75
required to complete a Consequence Course as provided by the 76
Department of Information Technology before resuming access to the 77
social media platform. 78
(2) A second or subsequent violation shall require 79
completion of additional educational modules and may include 80
temporary suspension from platform use, in proportion to the 81
number and severity of prior offenses. 82
(3) Persistent or severe violators may be reported to the 83
platform for extended bans, consistent with that platform's 84
internal terms of service. 85
(4) The Department of Information Technology Services shall 86
provide an appeals process for users disputing a violation 87
determination. 88
SECTION 6. (1) The Department of Information Technology 89
Services and the Attorney General shall oversee compliance by 90
major social media platforms operating in the state. 91
(2) Social media companies that knowingly and repeatedly 92
fail to implement reasonable verification measures as provided by 93
rule may be subject to a civil penalty not exceeding Ten Thousand 94
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Dollars ($10,000.00) per violation, after notice and opportunity 95
for hearing. 96
(3) Fines collected under this act shall be deposited into a 97
special fund within the State Treasury for use in supporting 98
digital literacy and youth mental health programs to be known as 99
the Social Media Literacy and Online Safety. Unexpended amounts 100
remaining in the special fund at the end of a fiscal year shall 101
not lapse into the State General Fund, and any interest earned on 102
amounts in the special fund shall be deposited to the credit of 103
the fund. 104
(4) The Department of Information Technology 105
Services shall adopt rules and regulations to carry out the 106
purposes of this act, including technological standards for 107
verification and reporting. 108
SECTION 7. (1) This act shall not: 109
(a) Restrict or regulate speech, expression or 110
viewpoint on any online platform; 111
(b) Require social media companies to monitor or censor 112
individual content; or 113
(c) Create liability for platforms based solely on user 114
speech. 115
(2) The act operates solely as an educational and safety 116
initiative consistent with the state's police powers and does not 117
conflict with any federal statute, regulation or constitutional 118
protection. 119
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ST: Mississippi Social Media Literacy and
Online Safety Act; create.
(3) Compliance with this act shall not be construed as a 120
condition for interstate commerce or as a restriction upon access 121
to federally protected online services. 122
SECTION 8. This act shall take effect and be in force from 123
and after July 1, 2026. 124