[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6621425,"mediaKeyId","2802552-2c6cb207617ee21a0e73002ef661385e","parentId",2802552,"title","Committee hears two bills to restrict minors’ social media access; ACLU raises privacy and First Amendment concerns","audioSeconds",532,"startMs",276000,"endMs",808000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2802552-2c6cb207617ee21a0e73002ef661385e&start=276&end=808","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2802552-2c6cb207617ee21a0e73002ef661385e/thumbnail_276000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6621425/Rhode-Island/Committee-hears-two-bills-to-restrict-minors-social-media-access-ACLU-raises-privacy-and-First-Amendment-concerns","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6621425-e7200aabf437ad24bb22bf3c5b2107bc/orig.mp4?Expires=1771036829&Signature=X4Nuj7CoyhDPo~p1e8TNu~8XJFIv7G3UaK5sBpaCG5ligWMsaYdjCzBuW5azrs9I4~fdRgLM-BtjcqEpaFU7ApZ2Wb5pMXJJGYqESgHLOfu7pre2VD-FAeuiNPQTiS2c20am2oklaRW5dkYje7yLyqNWzMJlVSNKXI1Ix6CxeQT0yfR-fvvIim5lHNpYsAKYBWaLMA~9IdVXlo91S8495AQi4XQ~Ypxa6AP3uhD-e9cqrzI7qAp-yti8jYjf3GPiN0IEYLvxpRT8elc4zXCn7FjzKTMKCsjzC1BieatbM0jElJZeSvn5xsTvXXl-bk0DL3gfUD3LsvKiQw9-z4y5uA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","State of Rhode Island","date","2025-03-27T00:00:00Z","article","The House Committee on Innovation and Technology heard two bills aimed at limiting minors’ access to social media and submitted them to further study.

Representative Spears introduced House Bill 5291, saying the measure “prohibits the use of social media platforms, until age 18,” while allowing parental consent to override the age floor and assigning oversight to the Department of Business Regulation. Spears told the committee that the substanive goals include removing direct messaging for minors, preventing broad public sharing of typical social media material by minors, and creating consumer protections tied to platform design and criminal activity prevention.

Spears cited public‑health and safety concerns in explaining the bill. “The surgeon general states, we cannot conclude that social media is sufficiently safe for children and adolescents,” she said in the hearing record, and she pointed to risks the bill aims to address, including human trafficking, drug‑related activity using social platforms, and rising incidents of sextortion and related youth suicides.

Madeline McGonigal, testifying on behalf of the ACLU of Rhode Island, opposed HB5291. She told the committee the ACLU is worried about privacy and First Amendment issues created by mandatory age verification and parental‑consent regimes. “We are apprehensive about age verification as well as requiring parental consent to join these social media platforms,” McGonigal said, noting that requiring proof of parenthood or guardianship could be burdensome and could cut off young people from social support networks available online.

A second bill on the agenda, introduced by another representative, was described by its presenter as similar to HB5291 and modeled in part on other states’ efforts, including California’s age‑appropriate design code. The presenter described the measure as aiming to reduce minors’ exposure to harmful content and addictive design practices and said the bill’s goal was to add guardrails akin to vehicle child‑safety measures applied to online platforms for youth.

Committee members asked questions about age verification, the balance between safety and free expression, and whether platforms could be relied on to implement safer defaults. The ACLU witness said the organization would provide additional information on criminal use of platforms if the committee sought it.

Before testimony began the committee moved to hold the bills (HB5291 and the related bill, HB5830) for further study to allow testimony and additional work. The motion to hold the remaining bills on the committee agenda was approved by roll call.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House Committee on Innovation, Internet, & Technology: 3-27-2025","oneSentenceSummary","The House Committee on Innovation and Technology heard related bills seeking to restrict minors’ access to social media and voted to hold the measures for further study after testimony that included both supporting and opposing views.","taxTitle","2025 Legislature RI, Rhode Island","taxId",77689,"location","Rhode Island","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6621429,"House committee holds cryptocurrency kiosk bill after committee adopts sub A amendments",105,76000,181000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2802552-2c6cb207617ee21a0e73002ef661385e&start=76&end=181","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2802552-2c6cb207617ee21a0e73002ef661385e/thumbnail_76000.jpg","/articles/6621429/Rhode-Island/House-committee-holds-cryptocurrency-kiosk-bill-after-committee-adopts-sub-A-amendments","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6621429-ff4d764c3286a46e07c1ecea94a5410c/orig.mp4?Expires=1771036829&Signature=Uorx6m4GDuQ1jct2R9xj3Tzyj-grIiHYOhLHp93K4HK7d1pwsmVsw7RAB-RTq691-SkAMJUolxqtut-e9tl2bDK4Kipb3A7y0ano~b5OlFFpZYkfc3hfLMFSoIPlfoazP2tiKQnbrpJp24Se~Pcir8tOAsGOWRaV2pCXQQPHSeO5kDbO~jNBTeCmFViyxgoDHTLns2a-ZUfVbzbjpFo3edm1S699aZ-4zm8bq7sOgvOF10X4unEF4Z9V1Q7lK0JkI~iq8BsWB4~ERPeVYlp~Nq9Psfdb8kqPQP5eW~XCfroqJP6W9-Mn7R46fCmpp2pz2dpfavx~A7DVLh5ZeXxj9g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The House Committee on Innovation and Technology voted to hold House Bill 5121, a bill relating to cryptocurrency kiosks, for further study and recorded approval of a sub A that changes several provisions of the measure.

The committee’s action noted three material changes in the sub A: the daily transaction limit for kiosks was raised from $1,000 to $2,000; each kiosk must provide customers a receipt for transactions; and customers must be permitted to cancel a transaction within 30 days if they believe it to be fraudulent. The sponsor of the bill was recorded as Representative Casimir.

The vote was taken by roll call during the committee meeting. Members recorded as voting yes included Chair Wanda Muginski; First Vice Chair Handy; Representative Asinaro; Representative Kennedy; Representative Messier; Representative Papalakis; Representative Santucci; Representative Spears; and Representative Stewart. The committee chair announced that the motion carried.

Neither the motion’s mover nor seconder were specified in the transcript beyond committee members indicating support during the roll call. The committee did not take final action to enact the bill into law; the committee’s recorded action was to hold the bill for further study while adopting the sub A amendments described above.

The committee did not provide additional details in the hearing about implementation timelines, enforcement responsibilities beyond the sub A language, or whether further amendments would be considered before the bill’s next committee action.","The House Committee on Innovation and Technology voted to hold House Bill 5121 for further study while adopting a sub A with changes that raise the daily transaction limit to $2,000 and add receipt and 30‑day cancellation requirements for kiosk transactions.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6621421,"Committee hears bill to create location‑data privacy chapter; ACLU supports measure",81,1165000,1246000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2802552-2c6cb207617ee21a0e73002ef661385e&start=1165&end=1246","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2802552-2c6cb207617ee21a0e73002ef661385e/thumbnail_1165000.jpg","/articles/6621421/Rhode-Island/Committee-hears-bill-to-create-locationdata-privacy-chapter-ACLU-supports-measure","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6621421-6552b0a9098b30a31c1d2f8b1f398083/orig.mp4?Expires=1771036829&Signature=UGVX4RL35--Sh3F5Bndh7UsrEloxlMOLdwbjt-ONzQIc3ZlBSwhbm8g4ViIKoPnKlN1fwKYLqi1mrvEPo9kG8P4yfbte5cFh-C~pzw7UwFsiVZxz6SwWlzafaUivcFN~XjXysiVTQH7FceP68PfvkL9o~JOpJo05HGSrmDiMfKKVYbmj9dlJ4H6hR8F7bLqF94MqTZ8JBKNCqS-67SWSyw1A0oZD-e2Td~huX2Vx94r1-mf~9baY9tLEV3USlnqBPJmEwAxQ-nAiOz99K-lXK5cehyOE-TXT0nfTkowyEcZDSiCivMr9jjslmmLsuCY~~scEnRI1NtTA6jSuzK7ukw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","House Bill 6062, described to the House Committee on Innovation and Technology in the sponsor’s absence, would add a new chapter to Rhode Island commercial law to strengthen privacy protections for location information derived from electronic devices.

The clerk read a brief synopsis into the record on behalf of Representative Tansy, the bill sponsor. The synopsis states the bill would require the Department of Business Regulation to promulgate rules to implement, administer and enforce the new chapter.

Madeline McGonigal of the ACLU of Rhode Island testified in support of the bill. She told the committee that a cell phone, when turned on, typically registers its location with the closest cell tower approximately every seven seconds and that a statutory framework to protect disclosure of that data would “impart critical safeguards.”

There was no extended debate on the record about enforcement costs or specific exemptions; the committee moved to hold the bill for further study as part of a motion covering the remaining bills on the agenda.

The ACLU witness said the sensitivity of location data and the frequency with which it is collected make protections desirable; she offered to answer questions and provide additional materials to the committee on request.","House Bill 6062 would create a new chapter in commercial law to protect location information derived from electronic devices; the Department of Business Regulation would write rules. The ACLU of Rhode Island testified in support, citing the frequency with which phones register location data.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Committee hears two bills to restrict minors’ social media access; ACLU raises privacy and First Amendment concerns

House committee holds cryptocurrency kiosk bill after committee adopts sub A amendments

Committee hears bill to create location‑data privacy chapter; ACLU supports measure