SB 1351 changes the term of office for Independence School District school board members from biennial to annual elections, with terms set at three years instead of six years. It requires school board elections to align with municipal elections annually, replacing the previous biennial schedule. This directly affects the Independence School District's seven-member school board, altering how and when members are elected and serve. The bill does not change the number of board members but adjusts election timing and term lengths based on the district's specific circumstances.
HB 3393, the "Missouri Social Media Safety for Minors Act," requires social media platforms operating in Missouri to implement age verification for users under 18. Minors under 16 cannot create accounts without a parent or guardian, while those aged 16-17 need verified parental consent. Platforms must offer parents tools to monitor activity, delete accounts within 10 days, and restrict messaging from unverified adults. The bill also bans addictive features (like infinite scroll) and advertising to minors under 16, with violations subject to $50,000 fines per violation enforced by the attorney general.
HB 2909 requires public schools to include specific human sexuality and development instruction for students, directly affecting K-12 students in the state. The bill mandates medically accurate lessons covering abstinence, sexually transmitted diseases, contraception effectiveness, emotional consequences of teen sex, conflict management, and online safety. Crucially, it requires schools to show two specific videos during instruction: a fetal development ultrasound and the "Meet Baby Olivia" video depicting human gestation. Parents must be notified of the curriculum content and can opt their child out of any portion of the instruction. The bill also prohibits school personnel from providing abortion-related materials or services.
HB 3015 requires commercial websites and social media platforms (like apps or online services) to verify users are 18+ before accessing content classified as "sexual material harmful to minors" - defined as material appealing to minors' prurient interest, depicting sexual acts, or lacking value for minors. It mandates reasonable age verification (using ID or transactional data) but prohibits retaining user identity data. The law exempts news organizations, public interest broadcasts, and internet service providers from liability for content they don’t create. Violators face civil penalties of up to $10,000 per day, plus potential fines for failing to verify or retaining identifying information.
HB 3077 requires all public school districts to develop and implement a mandatory curriculum on responsible social media use for students, beginning in the 2027-28 school year. The curriculum must cover specific topics including social/emotional effects on teens, mental health impacts, disinformation risks, online safety, cyberbullying identification, and reporting procedures. School districts may use third-party approved materials instead of creating their own, and must also provide families with resources on parental controls, screen time limits, and digital well-being. The bill directly affects K-12 students and school districts across the state by mandating structured education on navigating social media safely.
HB 2031, the "Children Harmed by AI Technology Act" (or "CHAT Act"), requires companies operating AI chatbots designed to simulate emotional or therapeutic interactions (called "companion AI chatbots") to verify users' ages and implement child safety measures. It directly affects minors under 18 and the companies providing these chatbots in Missouri. Key provisions include mandating age verification for all users, requiring parental consent and a linked parental account for minors, blocking minors' access to sexually explicit or suggestive content, and displaying a clear pop-up notification at the start of every chat and every 60 minutes to confirm users are interacting with AI, not a human. The law also sets requirements for protecting age data confidentiality and outlines enforcement by Missouri's attorney general.
HB 2392, the "Missouri Social Media Safety for Minors Act," prohibits social media platforms from allowing users under 14 to create or maintain accounts and requires verified parental consent for minors aged 14-16. It mandates platforms to implement secure age-verification processes (without requiring government ID), protect user privacy, and offer parents tools to monitor activity, delete accounts, or limit messaging with unverified adults. The bill bans addictive design features (like infinite scroll), direct messaging from unverified adults to minors, and targeted advertising based on minors' personal data. Violations are deemed unlawful practices, allowing the attorney general or affected parents to seek civil penalties up to $50,000 per violation.
