State lawmakers moved a sweeping data-privacy bill out of committee Thursday, setting up a floor fight over what could become the toughest set of online protections for minors anywhere in the United States.
The bill would require social platforms to default every account belonging to someone under 18 to its most private settings, sharply limit the data those services can collect, and ban the use of engagement-maximizing recommendation feeds for teens unless a parent opts in.
What the bill would actually do
Supporters say the measure closes gaps that earlier laws left open. Under the proposal, platforms would have to turn off targeted advertising for minors, disable autoplay and infinite scroll by default, and give families a single dashboard to see and delete the data a service holds.
- Private-by-default accounts for everyone under 18
- No targeted ads or data sales involving minors
- A mandatory off switch for algorithmic feeds
- A 30-day window to honor any deletion request
This is about giving young people a healthier relationship with the apps they use every day, the bill lead author said during the hearing.
If we get this right, every other state has a template — and that is exactly what the industry is afraid of.
Why the tech industry is pushing back
Lobbyists for the largest platforms argue the rules are unworkable at scale and could force companies to collect more data, not less, to verify ages. They have proposed a narrower version that would apply only to children under 13.
Privacy advocates counter that age-verification can be done without storing identity documents, pointing to pilot programs in two other states that rely on on-device checks.
What happens next
The bill now heads to the floor, where a vote is expected within two weeks. If it passes, it moves to the upper chamber before the summer recess.
For Gen-Z Americans the stakes are personal. Student groups have organized call-in days, and a coalition of campus organizations plans to testify when the bill reaches its next stage.
