| 1 | 1 | | 89R17144 LRM-F |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Patterson H.B. No. 4994 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | |
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| 6 | 6 | | |
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| 7 | 7 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 8 | 8 | | AN ACT |
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| 9 | 9 | | relating to a study by the Department of State Health Services |
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| 10 | 10 | | regarding the effects of online activity on children. |
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| 11 | 11 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 12 | 12 | | SECTION 1. (a) In this section: |
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| 13 | 13 | | (1) "Child" means an individual who is younger than 18 |
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| 14 | 14 | | years of age. |
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| 15 | 15 | | (2) "Department" means the Department of State Health |
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| 16 | 16 | | Services. |
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| 17 | 17 | | (b) The department, in collaboration with the Texas |
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| 18 | 18 | | Education Agency, shall conduct a study to assess the short-term |
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| 19 | 19 | | and long-term effects of online activity on a child's well-being. |
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| 20 | 20 | | (c) In conducting the study, the department shall: |
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| 21 | 21 | | (1) define the term "digital well-being" in the |
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| 22 | 22 | | context of children engaging in online activity; |
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| 23 | 23 | | (2) identify the desired positive outcomes for |
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| 24 | 24 | | children engaging in online activity and develop recommendations |
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| 25 | 25 | | for achieving those positive outcomes; |
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| 26 | 26 | | (3) identify and examine: |
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| 27 | 27 | | (A) the types of online activity that children |
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| 28 | 28 | | engage in that correspond with different digital well-being |
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| 29 | 29 | | outcomes, including an analysis of the content of the online |
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| 30 | 30 | | activity; and |
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| 31 | 31 | | (B) recommendations from public and private |
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| 32 | 32 | | institutions for best practices for ensuring children's online |
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| 33 | 33 | | activity is safe and healthy; and |
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| 34 | 34 | | (4) solicit feedback from children and children's |
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| 35 | 35 | | parents or legal guardians regarding specific harms that children |
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| 36 | 36 | | have experienced as a result of engaging in online activity. |
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| 37 | 37 | | (d) Not later than December 1, 2027, the department shall |
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| 38 | 38 | | submit to the governor, the lieutenant governor, the speaker of the |
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| 39 | 39 | | house of representatives, and the commissioner of the department a |
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| 40 | 40 | | written report that: |
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| 41 | 41 | | (1) summarizes the results of the study conducted |
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| 42 | 42 | | under this section; and |
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| 43 | 43 | | (2) includes recommendations for legislative or other |
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| 44 | 44 | | action. |
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| 45 | 45 | | SECTION 2. This Act expires January 1, 2028. |
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| 46 | 46 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 47 | 47 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 48 | 48 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 49 | 49 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 50 | 50 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2025. |
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