Mississippi legislation · 2025 Regular Session
Mississippi SB2436: Social media; set certain requirements against content depicting tobacco or nicotine for minors.
Status: Failed, February 4, 2025
AN ACT TO PROHIBIT SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS FROM DISPLAYING MATERIAL THAT COULD EASILY INFLUENCE MINORS TO ENGAGE IN THE HARMFUL MISUSE OF TOBACCO OR NICOTINE PRODUCTS; TO NOTE THAT THE LEGISLATURE IS OPPOSED TO SOCIAL MEDIA CONTENT DEPICTING HARMFUL MISUSE OF TOBACCO OR NICOTINE PRODUCTS; TO NOTE THAT THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI HAS AN INTEREST IN PROTECTING MINORS FROM SUCH CONTENT; TO DEFINE TERMS; TO REQUIRE OWNERS AND OPERATORS OF SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS TO ENACT POLICIES WHICH ADDRESS AND RESPOND TO RISKS OF HARM TO MINORS INVOLVING TOBACCO AND NICOTINE PRODUCTS; TO REQUIRE OWNERS AND OPERATORS OF SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS TO PROVIDE A MEANS FOR USERS TO REPORT CONTENT WHICH DEPICTS THE HARMFUL MISUSE OF TOBACCO OR NICOTINE PRODUCTS; TO REQUIRE SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS TO CONSIDER CERTAIN ASPECTS OF CONTENT REPORTED ACCORDING TO THIS ACT; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.
What the bill says
An act to prohibit social media platforms from displaying material that could easily influence minors to engage in the harmful misuse of tobacco or nicotine products; to note that the legislature is opposed to social media content depicting harmful misuse of tobacco or nicotine products; to note that the state of mississippi has an interest in protecting minors from such content; to define terms; to require owners and operators of social media platforms to enact policies which address and respond to risks of harm to minors involving tobacco and nicotine products…
From the introduced text:
AN ACT TO PROHIBIT SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS FROM DISPLAYING MATERIAL THAT COULD EASILY INFLUENCE MINORS TO ENGAGE IN THE HARMFUL MISUSE OF TOBACCO OR NICOTINE PRODUCTS; TO NOTE THAT THE LEGISLATURE IS OPPOSED TO SOCIAL MEDIA CONTENT DEPICTING HARMFUL MISUSE OF TOBACCO OR NICOTINE PRODUCTS; TO NOTE THAT THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI HAS AN INTEREST IN PROTECTING MINORS FROM SUCH CONTENT; TO DEFINE TERMS; TO REQUIRE OWNERS AND OPERATORS OF SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS TO ENACT POLICIES WHICH ADDRESS AND RESPOND TO RISKS OF HARM TO MINORS INVOLVING TOBACCO AND NICOTINE PRODUCTS; TO REQUIRE OWNERS AND OPERATORS OF SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS TO PROVIDE A MEANS FOR USERS TO REPORT CONTENT WHICH DEPICTS THE HARMFUL MISUSE OF TOBACCO OR NICOTINE PRODUCTS; TO REQUIRE SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS TO CONSIDER CERTAIN ASPECTS OF CONTENT REPORTED ACCORDING TO THIS ACT; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: SECTION 1. The Legislature finds that: (a) The legislative body is opposed to social media content depicting harmful misuse of tobacco or nicotine products, which minors can easily imitate; and (b) The State of Mississippi has an interest in ensuring that minors do not have access to tobacco or nicotine products and do not view the harmful misuse of these products on social media, which can be easily imitated. SECTION …