Tennessee Senate Bill SB2042

Tennessee 2023-2024 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/25/24
• Failed: 3/12/24

Caption

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 8, Chapter 6 and Title 47, Chapter 18, relative to material harmful to minors.

Impact

If enacted, SB2042 would impose specific duties on commercial entities that publish or distribute content online. These entities would be required to implement 'reasonable age verification methods' to verify that individuals accessing the material are not minors. Failure to comply with these provisions could result in liability for damages to the minors involved. This legislation could reshape how content is managed on the internet and could lead to significant changes in the operations of businesses that provide online materials, influencing their compliance practices extensively.

Summary

Senate Bill 2042 is a legislative proposal aimed at amending the Tennessee Code Annotated to address the issue of material that is harmful to minors. The bill establishes definitions and provisions regarding how commercial entities must handle content that could be deemed harmful. It introduces mechanisms for age verification to prevent minors from accessing such material. The core intent behind the bill is to enhance online safety for children by placing responsibility on commercial entities to verify users' ages before allowing access to potentially harmful material.

Contention

One notable point of contention surrounding SB2042 is the balance between ensuring child safety and the potential impacts on the rights of users and businesses. Critics may argue that overly stringent age verification measures could infringe on user privacy or could hinder access to legitimate content. Furthermore, the implementation of such requirements poses concerns about the practicality and technological feasibility for smaller entities, which may lack the resources to comply with complex verification processes. Proponents, on the other hand, assert that the benefits of protecting minors from harmful content justify these measures.