| 1 | 1 | | 2025 |
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| 2 | 2 | | STATE OF WYOMING |
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| 3 | 3 | | 25LSO-01821HB0019 |
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| 4 | 4 | | HOUSE BILL NO. HB0019 |
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| 5 | 5 | | Social media-parental consent for minors required. |
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| 6 | 6 | | Sponsored by: Representative(s) Harshman, Lawley, Washut |
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| 7 | 7 | | and Wharff and Senator(s) Barlow and Olsen |
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| 8 | 8 | | A BILL |
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| 9 | 9 | | for |
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| 10 | 10 | | 1 AN ACT relating to trade and commerce; requiring parental |
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| 11 | 11 | | 2 consent for minors under age eighteen (18) to use a social |
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| 12 | 12 | | 3 media platform; providing definitions; requiring |
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| 13 | 13 | | 4 rulemaking; and providing for effective dates. |
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| 14 | 14 | | 5 |
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| 15 | 15 | | 6 |
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| 16 | 16 | | 7 |
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| 17 | 17 | | 8. W.S. 40-32-101 and 40-32-102 are created |
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| 18 | 18 | | 9 to read: |
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| 19 | 19 | | 10 |
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| 20 | 20 | | 11 CHAPTER 32 |
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| 21 | 21 | | 12 SOCIAL MEDIA REGULATION |
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| 22 | 22 | | 13 |
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| 23 | 23 | | 14 |
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| 24 | 24 | | 15 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-01822HB00191 (a) As used in this chapter: |
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| 25 | 25 | | 2 |
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| 26 | 26 | | 3 (i) "Account holder" means a person who has or |
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| 27 | 27 | | 4 who creates or opens an account or profile to use a social |
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| 28 | 28 | | 5 media platform; |
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| 29 | 29 | | 6 |
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| 30 | 30 | | 7 (ii) "Minor" means a person who is a resident of |
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| 31 | 31 | | 8 Wyoming, who is under the age of eighteen (18) and who is |
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| 32 | 32 | | 9 not married or has not become emancipated as provided in |
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| 33 | 33 | | 10 W.S. 14-1-201 through 14-1-206; |
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| 34 | 34 | | 11 |
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| 35 | 35 | | 12 (iii) "Social media company" means a person that |
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| 36 | 36 | | 13 is an interactive computer service that provides a social |
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| 37 | 37 | | 14 media platform for use; |
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| 38 | 38 | | 15 |
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| 39 | 39 | | 16 (iv) "Social media platform" means an online |
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| 40 | 40 | | 17 forum that a social media company makes available for an |
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| 41 | 41 | | 18 account holder to create a profile, upload posts, view the |
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| 42 | 42 | | 19 posts of other account holders or interact with other |
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| 43 | 43 | | 20 account holders or users. |
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| 44 | 44 | | 21 |
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| 45 | 45 | | 22 |
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| 46 | 46 | | 23 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-01823HB00191 |
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| 47 | 47 | | 2 (a) No social media company shall allow a minor to be |
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| 48 | 48 | | 3 an account holder on the social media company's social |
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| 49 | 49 | | 4 media platform unless the social media company obtains the |
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| 50 | 50 | | 5 express consent of the minor's parent or guardian. |
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| 51 | 51 | | 6 |
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| 52 | 52 | | 7 (b) Each social media company shall deny access to |
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| 53 | 53 | | 8 its social media platform for each account holder who fails |
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| 54 | 54 | | 9 to meet the verification requirements specified in |
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| 55 | 55 | | 10 subsection (a) of this section until the social media |
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| 56 | 56 | | 11 company receives the express parental or guardian consent |
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| 57 | 57 | | 12 required under subsection (a) of this section. |
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| 58 | 58 | | 13 |
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| 59 | 59 | | 14 (c) The attorney general shall promulgate all rules |
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| 60 | 60 | | 15 for: |
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| 61 | 61 | | 16 |
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| 62 | 62 | | 17 (i) The process by which a social media company |
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| 63 | 63 | | 18 can obtain parental consent for a minor seeking to open or |
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| 64 | 64 | | 19 create an account and be an account holder on a social |
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| 65 | 65 | | 20 media platform; |
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| 66 | 66 | | 21 |
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| 67 | 67 | | 22 (ii) The method by which a parent or guardian of |
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| 68 | 68 | | 23 a minor can provide consent for a minor to open or create 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-01824HB0019 |
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| 69 | 69 | | 1 an account and be an account holder on a social media |
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| 70 | 70 | | 2 platform; |
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| 71 | 71 | | 3 |
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| 72 | 72 | | 4 (iii) The methods by which social media |
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| 73 | 73 | | 5 companies shall verify the authenticity of the parental or |
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| 74 | 74 | | 6 guardian consent provided for a minor to open or create an |
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| 75 | 75 | | 7 account and be an account holder on a social media |
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| 76 | 76 | | 8 platform; |
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| 77 | 77 | | 9 |
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| 78 | 78 | | 10 (iv) The methods by which a social media company |
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| 79 | 79 | | 11 shall allow parents or guardians to revoke or withdraw |
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| 80 | 80 | | 12 consent previously given for a minor to open or create an |
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| 81 | 81 | | 13 account and be an account holder on a social media platform |
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| 82 | 82 | | 14 and for parents or guardians to revoke or withdraw |
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| 83 | 83 | | 15 nonconsent previously expressed and thereafter consent for |
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| 84 | 84 | | 16 a minor to open or create an account and be an account |
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| 85 | 85 | | 17 holder on a social media platform. |
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| 86 | 86 | | 18 |
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| 87 | 87 | | 19 (d) The attorney general may pursue any remedy |
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| 88 | 88 | | 20 authorized under the Wyoming Consumer Protection Act |
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| 89 | 89 | | 21 against a social media company that fails to comply with |
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| 90 | 90 | | 22 this article. |
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| 91 | 91 | | 23 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-01825HB00191. The attorney general shall promulgate all |
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| 92 | 92 | | 2 rules necessary to implement this act. |
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| 93 | 93 | | 3 |
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| 94 | 94 | | 4. |
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| 95 | 95 | | 5 |
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| 96 | 96 | | 6 (a) Except as provided in subsection (b) of this |
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| 97 | 97 | | 7 section, this act is effective immediately upon completion |
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| 98 | 98 | | 8 of all acts necessary for a bill to become law as provided |
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| 99 | 99 | | 9 by Article 4, Section 8 of the Wyoming Constitution. |
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| 100 | 100 | | 10 |
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| 101 | 101 | | 11 (b) Section 1 of this act is effective July 1, 2025. |
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| 102 | 102 | | 12 |
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| 103 | 103 | | 13 (END) |
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