Bill > HB2522

This bill requires large commercial online platforms, websites, and applications with at least ten million monthly users in the United States that permit the posting of material harmful to minors (defined as content that is sexually explicit or exploits, abuses, or endangers children) to implement a content moderation system. This system must allow users to easily report material harmful to minors that is not properly marked or age-restricted, and the platform must acknowledge these reports within 48 hours and take action, such as removing the content, restricting access through effective age verification (which involves methods like government ID checks or facial age estimation), or properly marking the content, within seven business days. Platforms must also publish semi-annual transparency reports detailing their content moderation efforts and provide copies to the attorney general, and parents or legal guardians can file civil lawsuits against platforms that repeatedly fail to act on reports of unmarked material harmful to minors, potentially recovering damages and legal fees. The attorney general also has enforcement authority, including seeking court orders and civil penalties for non-compliance, though platforms that make good-faith efforts to comply are protected from liability for individual instances of user-posted harmful material. Importantly, this bill does not apply to internet service providers, search engines, cloud storage providers, email services, direct messaging services without public posting, news organizations, educational institutions, or government websites, and it does not require proactive monitoring of all user content or override existing protections for online platforms under federal law, except as specifically stated.

Business and Industry

https://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/Billinfo/Default?BillNumber=HB2522&ga=114