As the clock strikes midnight on January 1, 2025, Tennessee will usher in a series of new laws aimed at enhancing the safety and well-being of its residents, particularly its youth. Following a year marked by significant legislative changes, including the gun safety course law and Abrial’s Law, a new slate of regulations will take effect, focusing on issues such as online access for minors, alcohol service training, and more.
Among the most notable changes is the Protecting Minors from Social Media Act, which mandates social media platforms to obtain parental consent before allowing users under 18 to create accounts. This legislation, championed by Republican State Representative Jake McCalmon, shifts the responsibility to social media companies to verify the ages of new account holders. “This opens these companies up to civil suits, so parents can say, ‘Hey, you dropped the ball here,’” McCalmon stated. “Parents should have the final say on what their kids are exposed to.”
In addition to requiring parental consent, the law allows parents to set time limits, review privacy settings, and revoke consent for their children’s accounts at any time. However, it is important to note that the law will not apply retroactively, meaning accounts created before the law’s enactment will remain unaffected.
Alongside the social media regulations, the Protecting Minors Act seeks to curtail minors’ access to adult content on websites such as Pornhub and Fans Only. Under this new law, adult content websites will be required to verify users’ ages through mechanisms such as uploading a photo that matches their ID or providing transactional data. Many parents, like Tammy Schneck, have expressed their support for these measures, emphasizing the importance of shielding children from explicit material online. “I don’t think kids should be subjected to those things,” Schneck remarked. “We need to be protecting our children from all of the sexually explicit and all of those ugly things that are on the internet.”
Despite the intent behind these laws, they are not without controversy. Free speech advocates, social media companies, and adult websites argue that the measures infringe on constitutional rights, specifically the First Amendment. McCalmon, however, remains confident that the legislation will withstand legal scrutiny, asserting that requiring parental approval for minors does not violate their rights. “To me, it’s not a violation of their First Amendment rights to require parental approval because they’re not adults,” he argued.
Tennessee joins a growing list of states—12 in total—that have implemented age-verification laws for pornography websites. Some states, including Texas and Virginia, have seen adult-content websites respond by blocking access to users within their borders, a trend that may resonate in Tennessee as well.
In addition to online regulations, new laws will also impact the hospitality industry. A significant bipartisan measure will require bartenders and servers to undergo a minimum of three-and-a-half hours of alcohol awareness training. This training will encompass strategies for preventing sexual assault and harassment, as well as bystander intervention techniques. The law has garnered broad support and is seen as a proactive step towards enhancing safety in establishments that serve alcohol.
Another important legislative change involves law enforcement and firefighters, who will now be eligible for hazardous duty retirement benefits after 20 years of service or upon reaching age 60. Senator Paul Bailey, a proponent of this law, emphasized its importance for protecting those who serve the community.
Additionally, a new law will permit the use of virtual IDs for purchasing alcohol in grocery stores, streamlining the verification process for consumers. The legislation aims to align alcohol purchasing regulations with existing practices used in other sectors, such as air travel.
Other laws set to take effect include enhanced transparency for landlords regarding property management and ownership information, as well as a requirement for health insurance companies to provide a year’s worth of contraceptive coverage for those on TennCare.
As Tennessee prepares for the start of 2025, these new laws reflect the state’s ongoing efforts to address contemporary challenges while balancing the rights of individuals with the need for community safety. With the potential for legal challenges ahead, the impact of these regulations will be closely monitored in the months to come.
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