Age Verification Laws Secria

Age Verification LawsUS states

Georgia age verification law: SB 351

One 2024 law, effective 1 July 2025, with two age rules: age checks on adult sites, and a parent's consent before under-16s get social media accounts.1 On 15 October 2026 the appeals court vacated the order blocking the social media part.2

Checked 1 November 2026 against the sources.

The two age rules in SB 351

The Protecting Georgia's Children on Social Media Act of 2024 also sets school rules on social media and online safety teaching.1 This page covers the two age rules.

PartWhat it requiresStatus
Adult sitesO.C.G.A. 39-5-5Public websites where more than 33.33% of the material is harmful to minors must use reasonable age verification before letting anyone in.1In force
Social mediaO.C.G.A. 39-6-1 to 39-6-5Covered platforms must make commercially reasonable efforts to verify account holders' ages, and need a parent's or guardian's express consent before a Georgia resident under 16 can hold an account.1Injunction vacated
 Statuses as of 1 November 2026. In force means we found no court order that blocks it. This page describes the law and the court's ruling. It is not legal advice.

Adult sites

The law names three ways to check that a visitor is 18: a digital copy of a driver's license or ID card, a government-issued ID, or another commercially reasonable method that meets or exceeds NIST Identity Assurance Level 2.1 It does not apply to news organizations, cloud service providers, or internet providers and search engines that only carry the content.1

What the site may keep

Nothing that identifies you. Once access is granted, the site may not retain any identifying information, whether it ran the check or a third party did. A person whose data was knowingly kept can sue for damages.1

Penalties

Fines of up to $10,000 per violation, set by the superior court in the county where an affected minor lives. A site that fails to check is also liable for damages from a minor's access, plus court costs and attorneys' fees.1

Social media

A platform can either verify ages, with a certainty that fits its risks, or treat every account holder as a minor.1 Email, gaming, streaming, shopping, video calls, cloud storage, career networking and more than a dozen other kinds of service are excluded.1 Other states' social media laws

How a parent can consent

The law lists a signed form, a toll-free call, a video call, an email reply with extra identity steps, or a government ID or payment card check, after which that information must be deleted. Any other commercially reasonable method also counts.1

Rules for under-16 accounts, and enforcement

No ads based on personal information other than age and location. Only the Attorney General enforces it, with no private lawsuits, after 90 days' written notice to cure, and can seek up to $2,500 per violation.1

  1. NetChoice, a tech industry group, sues to block the social media part, two months before the start date.2
  2. The district court grants a preliminary injunction. It finds the law likely violates the First Amendment on its face, is too vague and is preempted by federal law (Section 230).2
  3. The Eleventh Circuit vacates the injunction and sends the case back. It holds NetChoice did not carry its burden for a facial challenge, and rejects the vagueness and Section 230 findings. It does not decide whether the law is constitutional.2

Georgia's Attorney General says the ruling paves the way for the law to take full effect.3 The case continues in the district court, where NetChoice's challenge as applied to its members was never decided.2

Questions people ask

Does Georgia have an age verification law?

Yes. SB 351 took effect on 1 July 2025 and requires age checks on sites where more than a third of the material is harmful to minors.1

Is Georgia's social media law blocked?

Not any more. A preliminary injunction blocked it from 26 June 2025, and the appeals court vacated it on 15 October 2026.2 The lawsuit is still open.

At what age can you have social media in Georgia without a parent's consent?

16, on platforms the law covers. Under 16, the platform needs a parent's or guardian's express consent.1

Can I sue a Georgia social media platform under SB 351?

No. The social media part gives the Attorney General exclusive enforcement and creates no private right of action. The adult-site part does let people sue.1

Sources 3
  1. SB 351 (2024), Protecting Georgia's Children on Social Media Act of 2024, as signed, Office of the Governor of Georgia. Read 1 November 2026.
  2. NetChoice v. Attorney General of Georgia, No. 25-12436, opinion of 15 October 2026, US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit (copy published by the Georgia Attorney General). Read 1 November 2026.
  3. Carr secures major victory in defense of Georgia's social media law, 15 October 2026, Georgia Attorney General (the defendant). Read 1 November 2026.

Every fact here comes from the law or the court, checked again and dated. How we check