(iStock / Getty Images)

JUNEAU — A bill to enact sweeping restrictions on social media platforms and artificial intelligence unanimously passed the Alaska House of Representatives on Friday. If adopted, Alaska would follow in the footsteps of several other states that have imposed regulations on the use of social media by children.

The social media restrictions were added during a House floor debate on Wednesday to legislation that was originally intended to prohibit the generation of child sexual abuse material using artificial intelligence.

Some lawmakers expressed concern about the brief consideration afforded to the extensive new limits on social media. Amid swift action, lawmakers had not heard directly from the companies before sending the bill to the Senate for further consideration.

“By passing this amendment, we would be going to war with Meta and TikTok and Instagram and Alphabet and a lot of organizations that have a lot of vested interest in maintaining the grip they have on our young people,” said Rep. Dan Saddler, an Eagle River Republican. “That’s a battle I would like us to take on. It’s a battle I would like us to win.”

The House voted 28-12 on Wednesday to add the new restrictions on minors’ social media use. The amendment was based on legislation introduced by Soldotna Republican Rep. Bill Elam that had yet to be scheduled for a hearing.

“It is critical that we act,” said Rep. Zack Fields, an Anchorage Democrat who introduced the amendment on the floor. Fields said the provisions were modeled after ones introduced in other states, including in Utah, which passed a landmark law in 2023, becoming the first state to take steps to limit social media use by kids.

Elam said the provisions fall under the category of consumer protections “to make sure that we are putting up guardrails for our families and for our children so that we can say, ‘You know what, I don’t want some addictive algorithm deciding what’s going on in my child’s head every day, all night and at school.’”

“What they are doing to our children is ridiculous,” said Elam.

The Alaska bill would require social media companies to verify the age of users. It would then impose specific restrictions on users under the age of 18, including prohibitions on advertising to minors on social media and showing them algorithm-driven targeted content. It would also prohibit the use of “addictive features” for minors, prohibit minors from using social media between 10:30 p.m. and 6:30 a.m. and create penalties for companies that violate these provisions.

As proof of the necessity of the new restrictions, Fields pointed to the arrest last week of an Alaska legislative staffer facing federal charges that accuse him of preying on underage girls on social media.

“Unfortunately, someone who’s 12 may not be aware of the type of person who’s trying to interact with them on a social media account,” said Fields.

Rep. Sarah Vance, a Homer Republican who sponsored the underlying bill, voted against the amendment, saying it was important to first hear from social media companies. Other lawmakers who opposed the amendment said the restrictions could be challenged on free speech grounds.

Several legal challenges are underway related to the impact of social media use on minors. Utah’s law was challenged in federal court by NetChoice, a nonprofit trade association representing companies like Google and Meta.

Other lawmakers raised questions about the practicality of imposing the restrictions. Social media users may not want to verify their age by submitting their driver’s license to a third-party company, said Rep. Andrew Gray, an Anchorage Democrat. Users could get around the restrictions by accessing the sites through a Virtual Private Network, or VPN, which allows internet users to mask the location from which they are browsing, he added.

Three other amendments passed with unanimous approval.

One establishes civil liability for the generation and distribution of obscene sexual material of adults, as well as children, using AI.

Another classifies creating a digital likeness of a person for harassment as a Class A misdemeanor. Rep. Alyse Galvin, an Anchorage independent, illustrated her support for the amendment with a personal story. She said a video generated using AI had been posted online, depicting her making homophobic comments and using a derogatory slur.

The final amendment, proposed by Anchorage independent Rep. Calvin Schrage, enacts civil penalties for AI platforms, where a company can be fined $1 million each time their AI system is used to generate child sexual abuse materials. Schrage said he hopes the amendment incentivizes large companies to implement controls against customers using their products for “malicious, nefarious and, I would say, disgusting purposes.”

House Bill 47 heads next to the Senate, where Sen. Jesse Kiehl, a Juneau Democrat, is sponsoring a companion bill. Kiehl said that his focus remains on the underlying bill.

Kiehl said he believes most of his colleagues in the Senate have not yet closely reviewed the amendments passed in the House bill. He said that although he sees the merit in many of the amendments, he fears the additions will make the legislation less likely to pass.

“One of the risks of adding some good stuff onto something essential is that if someone disagrees with what’s good stuff, then you run the risk of losing what’s essential,” Kiehl said.

Daily News reporter Mari Kanagy reported from Juneau and reporter Iris Samuels reported from Anchorage.