Alabama Representative David Falkner recently introduced AL HB235 in the Alabama House. The bill, if passed, would ban anyone under the age of 16 from creating and opening social media accounts. Falkner, a Republican, represents District 46, the Hoover, Homewood, and Vestavia Hills area of the state.
The bill being introduced is not a complete surprise, as Governor Kay Ivey recently touched on the subject in her State of the State Address. It is also similar to a ban supported by Alabama Senator Katie Britt, who introduced federal legislation that would do the same on the national level for kids under the age of 13. Britt’s bill would also seek to change the way social media companies target people. It would seek to prevent them from using their algorithms to recommend content to those under the age of 17.
Falkner’s State bill will next be discussed in a hearing on Wed at 1030 in a meeting with the Children and Senior Advocacy Committee. In its current form, if the bill were to pass, it would require social media platforms to implement age verification processes in place to verify the age of anyone wishing to create a social media account. Such age verification for the state of Alabama is not unheard of. On October 1st of last year, HB 164, also known as the “Porn ID LAW” went into effect. That law, introduced by Rep. Ben Robbins, requires Alabama residents to verify their age, before accessing certain obscene sites online. The requirements would take effect Jan. 1, 2026. The Attorney General of Alabama would be responsible for enforcing the act, with up to a $50,000 penalty on social media sites for each violation.
