Texas Social Media Law

Extracted Attributes

• Legislative Chapter

  Chapter 120. Social Media Platforms (Business and Commerce Code)

• Year Signed (HB 18)

  2023

• Legal Status (HB 18)

  Enjoined by a court; challenged as violating the First Amendment.

• Legal Status (HB 20)

  Struck down by the Supreme Court of the United States.

• Year Adopted (HB 20)

  2021

• Primary Purpose (HB 18)

  Restrict social media content for minors, require age registration, filter harmful content, and provide parental tools.

• Primary Purpose (HB 20)

  Prohibit large social media platforms from censoring users' constitutionally protected speech and engaging in viewpoint discrimination.

• Official Name (Censorship Law)

  House Bill 20 (HB 20)

• Official Name (Minors' Access Law)

  House Bill 18 (HB 18), also known as the SCOPE Act (Securing Children Online through Parental Empowerment Act)

Timeline

• Texas adopted House Bill 20 (HB 20), forbidding large social media platforms from censoring users' constitutionally protected speech. (Source: Web Search Results)

  2021-XX-XX

• Governor Greg Abbott signed House Bill 18 (HB 18), also known as the SCOPE Act, into law, requiring certain social media platforms to provide minors with data protections and prevent access to harmful content. (Source: Web Search Results)

  2023-XX-XX

• Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, represented by Solicitor General Aaron Nielson, defended HB 20 at the Supreme Court of the United States in the case NetChoice, LLC v. Paxton (oral arguments). (Source: Web Search Results (date inferred from context and external knowledge))

  2024-02-26

• House Bill 18 (HB 18) was enjoined by a court. (Source: Web Search Results (date inferred from context))

  2024-XX-XX

• The Supreme Court of the United States struck down the Texas Social Media Law (HB 20) in the NetChoice Content Moderation Case, affirming platforms' editorial rights. (Source: Related Documents (date inferred from context and external knowledge))

  2024-06-26

• The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), ACLU of Texas, and other legal advocacy groups filed an amicus brief in CCIA v. Paxton, arguing that House Bill 18 (HB 18) violates the First Amendment. (Source: Web Search Results)

  2025-07-10

Social media age verification laws by country

Multiple countries have passed laws to require age verification for social media services as an attempt to address certain harms on social media. These bills and laws variety a lot with some of them restricting access to only to certain features or distinguish between different users online and which could lead to companies requiring age verification to have such restrictions such as the Kids Online Safety Act or require it outright and ban users under a certain age such as the Online Safety Amendment in Australia which bans anyone under 16 from holding a social media account including YouTube.

Web Search Results

• Attorney General Ken Paxton Defends Texas Law Prohibiting Big ...

  In 2021, Texas adopted a law forbidding the largest social media platforms from censoring users’ constitutionally protected speech. Two technology-based trade associations representing Google, Facebook, YouTube, X, and others sued the State to prevent enforcement of the law. The trade associations argue that these companies have a First Amendment right to discriminate against their users’ content. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit Court upheld Texas’s law, noting that these [...] Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton will defend HB 20, a Texas law that prevents major social media platforms from engaging in viewpoint discrimination and censorship, at the Supreme Court of the United States (“SCOTUS”) on February 26. Solicitor General Aaron Nielson will represent the State of Texas in the case known as NetChoice, LLC v. Paxton.

• Texas Social Media Law Violates First Amendment, ACLU Argues

  Our privacy statement has changed. Changes effective July 31, 2025. Press Releases › # Texas Social Media Law Violates First Amendment, ACLU Argues ## The law would limit minors’ access to content deemed harmful by the government Case: CCIA v. Paxton Affiliate: ACLU of Texas July 10, 2025 3:17 pm Share on FacebookPostCopy ACLU Affiliate ACLU of Texas Spokesperson Lauren Yu› Williams J. Brennan Fellow with the ACLU’s Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project Media Contact [...] media@aclu.org (212) 549-2666 549-2666) 125 Broad Street 18th Floor New York, NY 10004 United States SAN ANTONIO – The American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Texas, and several other legal advocacy groups filed an amicus brief today in CCIA v. Paxton, arguing that a Texas law that restricts social media content for minors violates the First Amendment. [...] “The government should not be able to decide what’s best for every child,” said Chloe Kempf, staff attorney from the ACLU of Texas. “This law would isolate kids who need community support, hinder families who want their children to learn about the world around them, and open the door to sweeping bans — from Romeo and Juliet to content that is critical of the government. What’s framed as protecting our children is harming them — by censoring their access to the ideas and information they need to

• ACLU of Texas, Partners Argue Texas Social Media Law Violates ...

  SAN ANTONIO – The American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Texas, and several other legal advocacy groups filed an amicus brieftoday in _CCIA v. Paxton,_ arguing that a Texas law that restricts social media content for minors violates the First Amendment. [...] Published Time: 2025-07-10T15:27:20-05:00 ACLU of Texas, Partners Argue Texas Social Media Law Violates First Amendment | ACLU of Texas | We defend the civil rights and civil liberties of all people in Texas, by working through the legislature, the courts, and in the streets. Skip to main content Image 1: ACLU of Texas ACLU of Texas MenuClose menu [...] The brief argues that House Bill 18 (“the SCOPE Act”) restricts young people’s ability to use social media and blocks them from viewing content they have a constitutional right to see. The law, which was enjoined by a court last year, would require minors to register their age with social media platforms and would require platforms to filter content based on an overly broad definition of “harmful to minors” that includes any content that “promote, glorifies, or facilitates” a long list of

• chapter 120. social media platforms - Texas Statutes

  Sec. 120.102. PROCESSING OF COMPLAINTS. (a) A social media platform that receives notice of illegal content or illegal activity on the social media platform shall make a good faith effort to evaluate the legality of the content or activity within 48 hours of receiving the notice, excluding hours during a Saturday or Sunday and subject to reasonable exceptions based on concerns about the legitimacy of the notice. [...] Sec. 120.1025. TREATMENT OF REPORTED CONTENT. (a) If a social media platform determines that content reported by a user is not explicit deep fake material, the social media platform may restore the material. (b) If a social media platform determines that content reported by a user is explicit deep fake material, the social media platform shall implement measures to ensure the same material is not posted on the social media platform again. [...] ``` BUSINESS AND COMMERCE CODE TITLE 5. REGULATION OF BUSINESSES AND SERVICES SUBTITLE C. BUSINESS OPERATIONS CHAPTER 120. SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS SUBCHAPTER A. GENERAL PROVISIONS Sec. 120.001. DEFINITIONS. In this chapter:

• Texas lawmakers are poised to ban minors from social media

  As of June 2024, 10 states, including Texas, have passed laws restricting children’s access to social media, according to the Age Verification Providers Association. However, a ban on social media for Texans under 18 would be the strictest regulation of the social media industry. Currently, Florida is the only other state with a ban on social media, but it’s only for minors under 14, and they are working to extend the ban to those under 16. [...] It also required school districts to obtain parental consent for most software and social media applications used in the classroom and look for internet alternatives for instruction. The Texas Tribune thanks its sponsors. Become one. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has already sued TikTok twice under this law, accusing the company of violating deceptive trade law by downplaying its addictiveness and exposing children to explicit material. [...] Gov. Greg Abbott signed House Bill 18 into law in 2023, known as the Securing Children Online through Parental Empowerment Act. The SCOPE Act requires certain social media platforms to provide minors with certain data protections, prevent minors from accessing harmful content, and give parents tools to manage their child’s use of the service.