Bill > SF4696

This bill establishes new requirements for social media platforms, referred to as "covered social media platforms" which are defined as those earning at least $1 billion in advertising revenue globally in the past three years, to protect minors, defined as individuals under 18 years old residing in Minnesota, with a particular focus on children aged 15 and younger. The bill mandates that these platforms must estimate a user's age, with stricter confidence levels required after prolonged usage, and if a user is identified as a child, the platform must obtain "verifiable parental consent," a legally recognized process for confirming a parent's identity, before creating or maintaining their account. For accounts belonging to children, privacy settings must default to the most private level, and parents will have the option to monitor and set time limits for their child's usage. Furthermore, covered social media platforms are prohibited from using "addictive interface features," which include things like infinite scrolling, autoplay videos, and certain types of notifications, and from displaying "targeted paid commercial advertising" to children's accounts. The bill also outlines procedures for account termination upon request from either the account holder or a parent, and establishes that contracts violating these provisions are void, with a private right of action for children and parents to sue for damages, including statutory damages of $10,000 for knowing or reckless violations, and also grants enforcement authority to the Attorney General for deceptive trade practices.