Governor Pillen, Attorney General Hilgers, and Senators Introduce Legislation to Protect Nebraska Children

Lincoln, NE – Today, Governor Jim Pillen joined Attorney General Mike Hilgers and state senators to speak on four bills which will be introduced to protect children from online abuse and the addictive nature of phone apps and online services. These four bills are being introduced at the request of the Governor.

Gov. Pillen said, “Attorney General Hilgers and I wanted to partner together as we both have good ideas on how we can best protect kids in Nebraska. These bills will address the addictive nature of social media, prohibit the generation of AI child pornography, restrict the use of phones and electronic devices in schools and require parental consent for minors to set up social media accounts.”

Attorney General Hilgers added, “One of the top priorities for our office is protecting children. And right now, some of the biggest threats to children originate online, through cell phones, social media, and child sexual abuse material. These bills are necessary to enhance current laws. I am proud to work with Governor Pillen and senators to enact laws that hold those perpetrating harm against our children accountable.”

Legislation Senator Sanders will introduce requires each public school board to adopt policies to restrict the use of phones in schools before the start of the next academic year. This bill includes some exceptions and accommodations to this policy, such as medical needs, emergency situations, educational purposes, or if the child has an individualized education plan.

Speaking on the cell phones in schools bill, Senator Sanders said, "I believe that students deserve the best possible chance to succeed, and creating an education free from digital distraction is an important step in ensuring that they can reach their full potential. I am committed to supporting policies that prioritize the well-being and academic growth of every student. By removing electronic communication devices from the classroom, we can create an environment free from distractions, allowing both teachers and students to fully succeed."

Additionally, the Age-Appropriate Online Design Code Act, which Senator Bosn plans to introduce, contains several provisions to protect Nebraska’s children from the harms of social media and other online services. The bill requires social media and other online services to include design features that prevent compulsive usage of the product, severe psychological harm such as anxiety and depression, severe emotional harm, identity theft, and privacy violations. The Age-Appropriate Online Design Code Act also requires these services to provide parents the ability to manage their child’s privacy and account settings and allow parents the ability to restrict the hours of use of these services. It also requires online services to establish default settings for users the service knows are minors and restricts data collection to the minimum amount of a user’s personal data to provide its services. Importantly, the bill also restricts the ability of these services to send push alerts during hours children are in school or sleeping.

To protect Nebraska children against inappropriate advertisements, online services may not facilitate targeted advertising to an individual the service knows is a minor, and they are prohibited from facilitating ads for products inappropriate for minors such as alcohol, tobacco or gambling.

Finally, the bill requires online services to create mechanisms to report harm to minors on their services and allows civil penalties against online services that violate the bill.

Addressing the bill, Senator Bosn said, “This legislation prioritizes the best interests of children over company profits. The Age-Appropriate Design Code Act ensures a safer online space for children. It requires companies to consider the privacy and protection of children in the design of digital products and services that kids are likely to access without undermining the First Amendment.”  

Also, addressing issues surrounding children’s use of social media, Senator Storer will introduce legislation to create the Parental Rights in Social Media Act. The Act requires social media companies to verify parental consent prior to allowing a minor to create a social media account.

Speaking on the importance of parent’s roles in their children’s social media use, Senator Storer said, “I am pleased to be introducing the Parental Rights in Social Media Act on behalf of our children, parents and Nebraska. Children today are more anxious, more depressed and inflicting self-harm and at the highest rates ever. Our kids are our most precious resource, and it’s time to take action to protect them in the social media world.

This legislation empowers parents to supervise their children on social media in a meaningful way."

The final bill discussed at the press conference is legislation Senator Hardin will introduce to add “computer-generated child pornography” to the statutes that prohibit child pornography and defines the term in statute. The bill addresses AI-generated and other child pornography created by minors by making such crime a Class III felony. Adults who violate the act will be guilty of a class 1D felony. These changes will ensure there is no loophole for predators in our statutes.

Speaking on the harms of AI-generated pornography, Senator Hardin said , “I have spoken with multiple parents who have had their daughter’s photo taken in public, then uploaded to AI platforms to create AI pornography which later was distributed to people the girls knew. This is a devastatingly harmful offense against any young person. Unfortunately, the creation of AI-generated videos or photos featuring minors is not restricted to older, deviant people. It also occurs among young adults disappointed in the end of a relationship and seeking revenge. School superintendents have told me that the problem of students creating AI pornography involving classmates is alive and well in Nebraska and causing harm to its victims. My legislation seeks to address this issue.”

The State of Nebraska will not tolerate the exploitation of its children by those who seek to use Artificial Intelligence to create and distribute Child Sexual Abuse Material.