Relating to minors using mobile devices, including protections for minors, civil liability, and providing penalties

This bill relates to minors using mobile devices, including protections for minors and providing civil and criminal penalties. The bill establishes filter requirements for minors and enforcement mechanisms for smartphones, tablets, and other devices. The bill requires that based on the age established during device activation and account setup, automatically activate filters on devices for minors during activation. The bill allows the filter to be deactivated by use of a password. The bill provides that any adult who is not a parent or legal guardian shall not deactivate the filter for a minor. The bill applies only to devices manufactured on or after January 1, 2025. The bill allows the attorney general to bring civil action suits against manufactures of devices that do not comply with the bill. The bill also allows private civil actions by parents or guardians of a minor against manufacturers who fail to comply with the bill. The bill details the civil remedies available against a manufacturer that violates the provisions of the bill. The bill provides that a person, except for a parent or guardian, who knowingly deactivated or disabled a filter in violation of new Code chapter 554H is guilty of a serious misdemeanor with a maximum fine of $5,000. The bill provides that a subsequent violation of new Code chapter 554H is an aggravated misdemeanor punishable by confinement of no more than one year and a fine of no more than $50,000.