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Senate backs tougher age verification for online material harmful to minors
Summary
House Bill 1053, requiring reasonable age verification by websites that host material harmful to minors, passed the Senate after proponents described the measure as closing an internet "wild west" gap and protecting children from predatory online content.
The Senate passed House Bill 1053, establishing a statutory requirement that websites hosting material harmful to minors perform reasonable age verification before allowing access.
Senator Melhoff, speaking in favor, told the Senate that many children can access pornographic content online and that states have increasingly required age-verification safeguards similar to restrictions on alcohol, tobacco and R-rated films. He described covered platforms as websites that in the ordinary course of business make material harmful to minors available and said failure to perform reasonable age verification would be a statutory violation. He said the statute mirrors measures other states have enacted and those measures have withstood legal review.
There were no recorded opposing floor remarks during final consideration. The secretary reported the vote as passed by a majority; the president declared the bill passed and the title was deemed correct.
