SB186 Alabama 2025 Session

Updated Feb 23, 2026

High Interest

Summary

Primary Sponsor: Clyde ChamblissSenator
Republican
Session: 2025 Regular Session
Title: Consumer protection; filter requirements on Internet enabled devices, penalties for violation
Summary: SB186 requires smartphones and tablets manufactured after June 1, 2025 to include an age-activated content filter on first use, with password protection and penalties for noncompliance.
What This Bill Does
The bill requires devices activated in Alabama to include a filter that blocks obscene material and asks the user for their age during setup. If the user is a minor, the filter automatically turns on; a password can be set to deactivate or reactivate the filter, and the device will notify the user when the filter blocks access. It creates civil penalties for manufacturers who fail to meet these requirements, with enforcement by the Attorney General, while excluding devices manufactured before June 1, 2025 and video game consoles, and it does not create liability for retailers.

Who It Affects
Manufacturers of smartphones and tablets (devices manufactured on or after June 1, 2025) must implement the filter, collect age data at activation, and may face civil penalties for noncompliance.
Minors and their parents/legal guardians (minor owner is protected by an automatically enabled filter; parents/guardians could face civil liability if they intentionally enable the password to remove or deactivate the filter and the minor accesses obscene material).

Key Provisions
Section 2: Devices activated in Alabama must contain a filter, request the user’s age at activation/setup, automatically enable the filter for minors, allow a password to manage the filter, notify when the filter blocks access, and allow non-minors with a password to deactivate/reactivate.
Section 3: Manufacturers face civil liability if a device activated in the state does not enable a compliant filter and a minor accesses obscene material; there is a good faith defense for devices that automatically enable a compliant filter upon activation; certain devices (manufactured before 6/1/2025) and video game consoles are exempt; retailers are not made liable.
Section 4: A person other than a minor’s parent/guardian may be civilly liable for intentionally enabling the password to remove or deactivate the filter if the minor accesses obscene material.
Section 5: The Attorney General can sue for injunctions and penalties (up to $5,000 per violation, up to $50,000 total), recover costs and attorney fees, issue subpoenas, and seek license revocation for repeated violations; penalties are counted per device manufactured on or after June 1, 2025.
Section 6: The act becomes effective on October 1, 2025.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 22, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.
Subjects: Consumer Protection