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SB 344

AN ACT PROTECTING CHILDREN'S SAFETY BY REQUIRING AFFIRMATIVE CONSENT BY A PARENT OR GUARDIAN FOR THE USE OF A CHILD'S LIKENESS ON SOCIAL MEDIA.

2026 Regular Session Introduced by Martha Marx

Connecticut bill requiring explicit parental consent before children's images can be posted on social media, addressing sharenting and digital privacy risks for minors.

FILE NO. 50
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Bill Summary · SB 344

Legislative bill overview

SB 344 would require parents or guardians to provide explicit, affirmative consent before a child's likeness (image, video, or other visual representation) can be used on social media platforms. The bill aims to give parents greater control over their children's digital presence and protect minors from unauthorized sharing of their images online.

Why is this important

Children's images are frequently shared online by parents ("sharenting"), schools, platforms, and others without meaningful parental oversight, creating privacy risks and potential misuse. This bill addresses growing concerns about data harvesting, unauthorized commercial use, cyberbullying, and identity theft involving minors' images. It also reflects broader debates about children's digital rights in an age of persistent online records.

Potential points of contention

  • Implementation challenges: Social media platforms would face significant operational burdens verifying parental consent at scale, potentially requiring age verification systems that raise their own privacy concerns
  • Scope ambiguity: Unclear whether the bill covers all uses (school photos, medical records, news coverage) or only commercial/social media uses, and what counts as a "child's likeness"
  • Parental authority vs. child autonomy: As children age, strict parental consent requirements may conflict with adolescents' growing independence and ability to manage their own digital presence
  • First Amendment concerns: Could face legal challenges regarding parents' and platforms' free speech rights, particularly for newsworthy content or educational uses

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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