United States of America: Govenor signed Protecting Georgia's Children on Social Media Act of 2024 (SB 351/Act 463)

On 23 April 2025, the Governor signed the Protecting Georgia’s Children on Social Media Act of 2024 (SB 351). The Act applies to social media platforms operating in the state and to commercial entities providing online material harmful to minors. It requires schools to expand character education curricula to include digital citizenship, adopt acceptable use and social media policies, and implement measures against cyberbullying. Social media platforms must verify account holders’ ages using commercially reasonable methods, treat individuals under 16 as minors, and obtain parental consent before minors may open accounts. Platforms must prohibit targeted advertising and the collection of unnecessary personal data from minors, and provide parental tools for monitoring. Commercial websites where more than one-third of content is harmful to minors must implement strict age verification using government or commercial systems and are prohibited from retaining identifying information after verification. Enforcement is entrusted to the Attorney General, with civil penalties of up to USD 2'500 for violations of social media obligations and up to USD 10'000 for violations involving harmful material.