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SB0448 • 2026

Criminal Offenses

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 39, Chapter 17, relative to the Protect Tennessee Minors Act.

Children
Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor
Massey, Littleton
Last action
2025-05-13
Official status
Effective date(s) 05/08/2025
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary does not provide details on financial impacts or the exact replacement for the removed definition.

Removing Definition of 'Content Harmful to Minors'

This bill removes part of Tennessee's Protect Tennessee Minors Act that defines what is considered harmful content for minors.

What This Bill Does

  • Removes the definition of 'content harmful to minors' from Tennessee law.

Who It Names or Affects

  • People who create or distribute content in Tennessee.
  • Law enforcement agencies responsible for enforcing laws related to minors' protection.

Terms To Know

Protect Tennessee Minors Act
A law that includes rules about what kinds of material are considered harmful to minors.
Content Harmful to Minors
Material previously defined by the act as sexually explicit or depicting sexual acts in a way that could be harmful to children.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify what will replace the removed definition.
  • It is unclear how this change will affect current enforcement of laws protecting minors from inappropriate content.

Bill History

  1. 2025-05-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Effective date(s) 05/08/2025

  2. 2025-05-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Pub. Ch. 405

  3. 2025-05-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. became Pub. Ch. 405

  4. 2025-05-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Governor.

  5. 2025-05-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Transmitted to Governor for action.

  6. 2025-04-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by H. Speaker

  7. 2025-04-29 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Senate Speaker

  8. 2025-04-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Enrolled and ready for signatures

  9. 2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed H., Ayes 80, Nays 6, PNV 2

  10. 2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Subst. for comp. HB.

  11. 2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  12. 2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. SB subst.

  13. 2025-04-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 4/21/2025

  14. 2025-04-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 4/17/2025

  15. 2025-04-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  16. 2025-04-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass; ref to Calendar & Rules Committee

  17. 2025-04-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass by s/c ref. to Finance, Ways, and Means Committee

  18. 2025-04-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/17/2025

  19. 2025-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/14/2025

  20. 2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed behind the budget

  21. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/2/2025

  22. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee

  23. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass; ref to Finance, Ways, and Means Committee

  24. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Judiciary Committee for 3/26/2025

  25. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in Judiciary Committee to 3/26/2025

  26. 2025-03-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rcvd. from S., held on H. desk.

  27. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Judiciary Committee for 3/19/2025

  28. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in Judiciary Committee to 3/19/2025

  29. 2025-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to House

  30. 2025-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate, Ayes 30, Nays 0

  31. 2025-03-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Consent Calendar 2 for 3/10/2025

  32. 2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Judiciary Committee for 3/12/2025

  33. 2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass by s/c ref. to Judiciary Committee

  34. 2025-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage, refer to Senate Calendar Committee

  35. 2025-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 3/4/2025

  36. 2025-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Criminal Justice Subcommittee for 3/5/2025

  37. 2025-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action Def. in s/c Criminal Justice Subcommittee to 3/5/25

  38. 2025-02-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Criminal Justice Subcommittee for 2/26/2025

  39. 2025-02-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Criminal Justice Subcommittee

  40. 2025-02-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Ref. to Judiciary Committee

  41. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Judiciary Committee

  42. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  43. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor change.

  44. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) withdrawn.

  45. 2025-02-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, caption bill, held on desk - pending amdt.

  46. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  47. 2025-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  48. 2025-01-29 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Under the "Protect Tennessee Minors Act," "content harmful to minors" means either of the
following, when taken as a whole, lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value:



Text, audio, imagery, or video the average person, applying contemporary community standards and taking the material as a whole and with respect to minors of any age, would find sexually explicit and harmful or inappropriate for minors or designed to appeal to or pander to the prurient interest; or



Text, audio, imagery, or video that exploits, is devoted to, or principally consists of an actual, simulated, or animated display or depiction of any of the following: (i) a human or fictitious character's pubic hair, vulva, vagina, penis, testicles, anus, or nipple, (ii) touching, caressing, fondling, or other sexual stimulation of a fictitious character or human nipples, breasts, buttocks, anuses, or genitals, or (iii) sexual intercourse, masturbation, sodomy, bestiality, oral copulation, flagellation, excretory functions, exhibitions, or any other sexual act.

This bill removes
the definition completely.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
HOUSE BILL 761
By Littleton

SENATE BILL 448
By Massey

SB0448
002433
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 39,
Chapter 17, relative to the Protect Tennessee
Minors Act.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 39-17-912, is amended by deleting
subdivision (b)(5) in its entirety.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.