Bill - Senate Bill 6111, Protection of Children Online (Washington Legislature, 2026 Regular Session)

Summary

Senate Bill 6111 of the 69th Legislature, 2026 Regular Session, State of Washington, is by Senators Salomon, Cortes, Liias, Nobles, Saldaña, and Trudeau and is referred to the Committee on Business, Trade & Economic Development. The act relates to the protection of children online and adds a new chapter to Title 19 RCW. Section 6 allows the office of the attorney general to investigate violations and bring actions, with a civil penalty of not more than $10,000 per violation when an injunction is violated. The parent or legal guardian of a known minor affected by a violation may seek declaratory or injunctive relief. Section 7 names it the Washington protecting children online act.

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Full text

     S-3830.1

                                 SENATE BILL 6111


     State of Washington         69th Legislature        2026 Regular Session

     By Senators Salomon, Cortes, Liias, Nobles, Saldaña, and Trudeau

     Read first time 01/14/26.    Referred to Committee on Business, Trade &
     Economic Development.




 1       AN ACT Relating to the protection of children online; and adding
 2   a new chapter to Title 19 RCW.


 3   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:


 4       NEW SECTION.      Sec. 1.     The definitions in this section apply
 5   throughout    this    chapter   unless  the   context   clearly   requires
 6   otherwise.
 7       (1) "Digital service" means a website, an application, a program,
 8   or   software    that    collects   or  processes   personal   identifying
 9   information with internet connectivity.
10       (2) "Digital service provider" means a person who:
11       (a) Owns or operates a digital service;
12       (b) Determines the purpose of collecting and processing the
13   personal identifying information of users of the digital service; and
14       (c) Determines the means used to collect and process the personal
15   identifying information of users of the digital service.
16       (3) "Known minor" means a child who is 16 years of age or younger
17   and who the digital service provider knows to be under the age of 17
18   years.
19       (4) "Personal identifying information" means any information,
20   including sensitive information, that is linked or reasonably
21   linkable to an identified or identifiable individual. "Personal
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1    identifying information" includes pseudonymous information when the
2    information is used by a controller or processor in conjunction with
3    additional information that reasonably links the information to an
4    identified   or   identifiable  individual.   "Personal  identifying
5    information" does not include deidentified information or publicly
6    available information.

 7       NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. (1) This chapter applies only to a digital
 8   service provider who provides a digital service that:
 9       (a) Connects users in a manner that allows users to socially
10   interact with other users on the digital service;
11       (b) Allows a user to create a public, semipublic, or private
12   profile for purposes of signing into and using the digital service;
13   and
14       (c) Allows a user to create or post content that can be viewed by
15   other users of the digital service, including sharing content on:
16       (i) A message board;
17       (ii) A chat room; or
18       (iii) A landing page, video channel, or main feed that presents
19   to a user content created and posted by other users.
20       (2) This chapter does not apply to:
21       (a) A digital service provider who processes or maintains user
22   data in connection with the employment, promotion, reassignment, or
23   retention of the user as an employee or independent contractor, to
24   the extent that the user's data is processed or maintained for that
25   purpose;
26       (b) A digital service provider's provision of a digital service
27   that facilitates email or direct messaging services, if the digital
28   service facilitates only those services;
29       (c) A digital service provider's provision of a digital service
30   that:
31       (i) Primarily functions to provide a user with access to news,
32   sports, commerce, online video games, or content primarily generated
33   or selected by the digital service provider; and
34       (ii) Allows chat, comment, or other interactive functionality
35   that is incidental to the digital service; or
36       (d) A digital service provider's provision of a digital service
37   that primarily functions to provide a user with access to career
38   development opportunities, including:
39       (i) Professional networking;
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 1       (ii) Job skills;
 2       (iii) Learning certifications;
 3       (iv) Job posting; and
 4       (v) Application services.
 5       (3) An internet service provider, internet service provider's
 6   affiliate or subsidiary, search engine, or cloud service provider is
 7   not considered to be a digital service provider or to offer a digital
 8   service if the internet service provider or provider's affiliate or
 9   subsidiary, search engine, or cloud service provider solely provides
10   access or connection, including through transmission, download,
11   intermediate storage, access software or other service, to an
12   internet website or to other information or content:
13       (a) On the internet; or
14       (b) On a facility, system, or network not under the control of
15   the internet service provider, provider's affiliate or subsidiary,
16   search engine, or cloud service provider.


17       NEW SECTION.   Sec. 3.   (1) A digital service provider may not
18   enter into an agreement with a person to create an account with a
19   digital service unless the person has registered the person's age
20   with the digital service provider. A digital service provider shall
21   make commercially reasonable efforts to verify the age of the person
22   creating an account with a level of certainty appropriate to the
23   risks that arise from the information management practices of the
24   digital service provider.
25       (2) A digital service provider may not permit an account holder
26   who is a known minor to be an account holder unless the known minor
27   has the express consent from a parent or legal guardian of the known
28   minor. Acceptable methods of obtaining express consent of a parent or
29   legal guardian include the following:
30       (a) Coordinating a call with a known minor's parent or legal
31   guardian over videoconferencing technology; or
32       (b) Any other method of obtaining express consent as defined in
33   rule adopted by the attorney general.


34       NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. (1) A digital service provider that enters
35   into an agreement with a known minor for access to a digital service
36   shall limit:



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 1       (a) Collection of the known minor's personal identifying
 2   information to information reasonably necessary to provide the
 3   digital service; and
 4       (b) Use of the known minor's personal identifying information to
 5   the purpose for which the information was collected.
 6       (2) A digital service provider that enters into an agreement with
 7   a known minor for access to a digital service may not:
 8       (a) Use the digital service to collect the known minor's precise
 9   geolocation data;
10       (b) Use the digital service to display targeted advertising
11   involving unlawful material to the known minor; or
12       (c) Share, disclose, or sell the known minor's personal
13   identifying information unless required to:
14       (i) Comply with a civil, criminal, or regulatory inquiry,
15   investigation, subpoena, or summons by a governmental entity;
16       (ii) Comply with a law enforcement investigation;
17       (iii) Detect, block, or prevent the distribution of unlawful or
18   obscene material to a known minor;
19       (iv) Block or filter spam;
20       (v) Prevent criminal activity; or
21       (vi) Protect the security of a digital service.


22       NEW SECTION. Sec. 5. (1) In relation to a known minor's use of
23   a digital service, a digital service provider shall make commercially
24   reasonable efforts to develop and implement a strategy to prevent or
25   mitigate the known minor's exposure to content that promotes or
26   facilitates the following harms to minors:
27       (a) Consistent with evidence-informed medical information, self-
28   harm, eating disorders, substance use disorders, and suicidal
29   behaviors;
30       (b) Patterns of use that indicate or encourage substance abuse or
31   use of illegal drugs;
32       (c) Stalking, physical violence, online bullying, or harassment;
33       (d) Grooming, trafficking, child pornography, or other sexual
34   exploitation or abuse;
35       (e) Incitement of violence; or
36       (f) Any other illegal activity.
37       (2) The requirement in subsection (1) of this section may not be
38   construed to require a digital service provider to prevent or
39   preclude:
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 1       (a) Any minor from deliberately and independently searching for,
 2   or specifically requesting, content; or
 3       (b) The digital service provider or individuals on the digital
 4   service from providing resources for the prevention or mitigation of
 5   the harms described in subsection (1) of this section, including
 6   evidence-informed information and clinical resources.

 7       NEW SECTION. Sec. 6. (1) The office of the attorney general may
 8   investigate violations of this chapter and may bring actions to
 9   enforce compliance and enjoin further violations. If a court finds a
10   person violates the terms of an injunction issued pursuant to this
11   section, it must impose a civil penalty of not more than $10,000 per
12   violation.
13       (2) Except as provided in subsection (3) of this section, this
14   chapter may not be construed as providing a basis for, or being
15   subject to, a private right of action for a violation of this
16   chapter.
17       (3) If a digital service provider violates this chapter, the
18   parent or legal guardian of a known minor affected by the violation
19   may bring a cause of action seeking declaratory or injunctive relief
20   against the digital service provider.


21       NEW SECTION. Sec. 7. This chapter may be known and cited as the
22   Washington protecting children online act.


23       NEW SECTION.    Sec. 8.    If any provision of this act or its
24   application to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the
25   remainder of the act or the application of the provision to other
26   persons or circumstances is not affected.

27       NEW SECTION.     Sec. 9.    Sections 1   through   7   of   this   act
28   constitute a new chapter in Title 19 RCW.

                                 --- END ---




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