United States of America: Adopted Bill regulating access to harmful content including age verification requirement (HB 2586)

On 1 April 2024, the Bill regulating access to harmful content including age verification requirement (HB 2586), was adopted by the Arizona Senate. The Bill would require commercial entities that publish or distribute material harmful to minors to implement a reasonable age verification mechanism. Material harmful to minors includes explicit depictions or descriptions of nudity, sexual acts, and bodily functions, which are considered offensive to minors and lack educational or cultural value. Furthermore, the Bill specifies that entities must not retain any personal data about individuals collected to verify their age. In case of non-compliance, the entities face civil actions for damages. The Bill now goes to the Governor.