Shown verbatim: the complete text as captured from the official PDF posted by the Tennessee General Assembly, fetched 2026-09-25. Page and line markers are part of the official record; nothing is edited or removed. This is the chaptered version. The official bill page.
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PUBLIC CHAPTER NO. 195
HOUSE BILL NO. 825
By Representatives Maberry, Renea Jones, Hardaway, Parkinson, Davis, McCalmon,
Terry, Keisling, Littleton, Reedy
Substituted for: Senate Bill No. 811
By Senators Powers, Crowe, Jackson, Reeves, Rose, Walley, Yager
AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, relative to internet safety.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, Chapter 6, is amended by adding the
following as a new part:
49-6-4601.
This act is known and may be cited as the "Teen Social Media and Internet
Safety Act."
49-6-4602.
As used in this part, unless the context otherwise requires:
(1) "Department" means the department of education;
(2) "Internet" means the combination of computer facilities and
electromagnetic transmission media, and related equipment and software,
comprising the interconnected worldwide network of computer networks that
employ the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol or any successor
protocol to transmit information; and
(3) "Social media" means a form of interactive electronic communication
through an internet website or application by which a user creates a service-
specific identifying user profile to connect with other users of the internet website
or application for the purpose of communicating and sharing information, ideas,
news, stories, opinions, images, videos, and other content.
49-6-4603.
(a)
(1) By January 1, 2026, the department shall develop guidance for LEAs
and public charter schools to instruct students in grades six through twelve (6-12)
who are enrolled in the LEA or public charter school on social media and internet
safety.
(2) The department shall update the guidance developed pursuant to this
subsection (a), if necessary, to reflect changes in social media use, emergent
technologies, and new threats to teens using social media.
(3) The guidance developed pursuant to this subsection (a) must conform
with the requirements established in § 49-6-4604.
(b) Beginning with the 2026-2027 school year, each LEA and public charter
school that enrolls students in any of the grades six through twelve (6-12) shall instruct
students in grades six through twelve (6-12) using the guidance developed by the
department pursuant to subsection (a).
HB825
(c) If a parent or guardian of a student wishes to excuse the parent's or
guardian's student from only a portion of the social media and internet safety instruction
provided pursuant to subsection (b), then the parent or guardian must submit a request,
in writing, to the student's teacher or school principal. If the parent or guardian wishes to
excuse the parent's or guardian's student from all of the social media and internet safety
instruction provided pursuant to subsection (b), then the parent or guardian must submit
a request, in writing, to the student's school principal. A student who is excused from any
or all portions of social media and internet safety instruction must not be penalized for
grading purposes if the student satisfactorily performs alternative lessons.
49-6-4604.
(a) The social media and internet safety guidance developed in § 49-6-4603(a)
must include:
(1) Time management and healthy behaviors on social media;
(2) The negative effects of social media on mental health, including
addiction to social media;
(3) The distribution of information on social media;
(4) How social media manipulates behavior;
(5) The permanency of sharing materials online;
(6) How to use social media safely, including:
(A) Maintaining personal security;
(8) Preventing oversharing of personal information;
(C) Identifying cyberbullying, predatory behavior, and signs of
potential human trafficking; and
(D) Reporting suspicious behavior encountered on social media to
the appropriate authorities; and
(7) Emphasizing the importance of evaluating information generated by
artificial intelligence and understanding the potential for misinformation when
using artificial intelligence.
(b) The social media and internet safety guidance developed pursuant to§ 49-6-
4603(a) may include the benefits of social media use; provided, that the guidance must
only include the benefits of social media related to:
(1) Career and resume building for future academic or employment
opportunities;
(2) Sharing information with family and friends; and
(3) Safely connecting with other users with similar interests.
49-6-4605.
Beginning with the 2025-2026 school year, each LEA and public charter school
shall prohibit students from accessing a social media platform using the internet access
provided by the LEA or public charter school, except when expressly authorized by a
teacher for educational purposes only.
SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-1-221 (a)(1 ), is amended by adding
the following as new subdivisions:
(G) Limit the content accessible by students using internet access provided by
the LEA to content that is age-appropriate;
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HB825
(H) Protect the safety and security of students accessing email, chat rooms, and
other forms of direct, electronic communication using internet access provided by the
LEA; and
(I) Prevent students from using internet access provided by the LEA to access
websites, web applications, or software that does not protect students against the
disclosure, use, or dissemination of their personal information.
SECTION 3. Section 2 of this act takes effect July 1, 2025, the public welfare requiring it.
All other sections of this act take effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.
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HOUSE BILL NO. 825
PASSED: April 3. 2025
CAMERON~TON,SPEAKER
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
RANDY MCN~LLY
SPEAKER OF THE SEN'ATE
I Apr; \ ftl APPROVED this
day of 2025
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BILL LEE, GOVERNOREvery fact on this page links to its source, starting with the official bill record.