Texas HB 186 (Under-18 Social Media Ban)

BadDefeatedTexas HB 186Texas, United StatesMedium threat
Passed the House 116-25; died in the Senate, June 2025

The Texas House voted to bar everyone under 18 from social media and to make platforms verify that new account holders are adults.

Latest update

Died when the regular session ended without a Senate floor vote

View official bill record

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What it does

HB 186 required social media platforms to refuse accounts to anyone under 18 and to verify that a person is 18 or older before accepting them as an account holder. Verification had to use a commercially reasonable method relying on public or private transactional data, and that data had to be deleted after the check. Platforms had to delete a child's account within 10 days of a verified parent's request. Violations counted as deceptive trade practices enforced by the Attorney General, and the ban would have applied from January 1, 2026.

What’s at stake

A mandatory adult check at signup means new Texas accounts start with a lookup against transactional records. Teens would have lost access to lawful speech entirely, and adults would have lost the ability to sign up without being matched against those records.

Our take

HB 186 banned minors from holding accounts outright, with no parental consent route. It cleared the House 116-25 and a Senate committee 8-3, then ran out of floor time. Texas already enforces an adult-site ID law and an app store law, so expect this piece to return in 2027.

Timeline

Died when the regular session ended without a Senate floor voteLatest

Placed on the Senate intent calendar

Senate State Affairs Committee voted 8-3 to advance it

Passed the House 116-25

House Trade, Workforce and Economic Development Committee reported a substitute, 10-0

Sponsors

Rep. Jared Patterson, Sen. Adam Hinojosa

Votes

  • House Trade, Workforce and Economic Development Committee — Reported as substituted (10 to 0) · April 2, 2025
  • House — Passed (Senate never voted) (116 to 25) · April 30, 2025
  • Senate State Affairs Committee — Reported favorably (8 to 3) · May 22, 2025
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