Connecticut SB 5 (Online Safety, Feed Age Checks)
Connecticut, United StatesHigh threat- Introduced
- Passed Senate
- Passed House
- Became Law
Stage 4 of 4: Became Law
Connecticut's online safety law bars personalized feeds for any user a platform has not checked is an adult, unless a parent consents, starting in 2028.
Latest update
Signed by Gov. Ned Lamont
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Take action on this issueWhat it does
Section 39 of Public Act 26-15 says that from January 1, 2028, a platform may not serve a feed built from a user's data or device information unless it has used "commercially reasonable and technically feasible methods" to determine the user is 18 or older, or has verifiable parental consent for a minor. If the platform attempts the check and cannot tell, it must presume the user is an adult, and data collected for the check must be deleted immediately afterward. Known minors get default settings that cap personalized feeds at one hour a day, block feed notifications from 9 p.m. to 8 a.m., limit contact to connections and hide content the platform flags as sensitive. Users not determined to be adults must see a Surgeon General warning that covers 75% of the screen for 30 seconds on their first visit of the day, and violations are enforced as unfair trade practices under CUTPA.
What’s at stake
Keeping the standard feed requires proof of adulthood, so the law pushes platforms to run age checks on anyone in Connecticut who wants the product as designed. Adults who skip the check get a stripped-down feed and a government health warning they cannot dismiss for 30 seconds.
Our take
Connecticut built the age check into the feed itself: prove your age or get the version of the internet the state designed for children. The presume-an-adult clause and the deletion rule soften it. The default still treats a Connecticut user as a suspected minor until a check clears them.
Timeline
First annual platform disclosures due to the Attorney GeneralUpcoming
Section 39 feed, age-check and warning-label rules take effectUpcoming
Signed by Gov. Ned LamontLatest
Became Public Act 26-15
House passed it 131-17
Senate passed the amended bill 32-4
Sponsors
Sen. Martin Looney, Sen. Bob Duff, Sen. James Maroney
Votes
- Senate — Passed (32 to 4) · April 21, 2026
- House — Passed (131 to 17) · May 1, 2026
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