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Bill

S 335

North Central High School Volleyball

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Allen Blackmon and 1 co-sponsor

The bill requires public schools to limit personal devices during the school day and to educate students on social media harms, while starting an age-verification framework for pla

Introduced and adopted
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Bill Summary · S 335

Summary — S.335: "An Act promoting safe technology use and distraction‑free education for youth"

Purpose
S.335 directs public schools in Massachusetts to adopt stronger limits on personal electronic device use during the school day and to provide student education about social media harms. The bill also begins to establish an “online protection” framework for social media platforms (Chapter 93M), including definitions and a requirement for age‑assurance/verification systems. Overall intent: reduce classroom distraction, protect student privacy and safety, and regulate minors’ access to online platforms.

Key provisions (from available text)

School device-use and social‑media education (adds two sections to G.L. c.71)

  • Each public school must adopt a written policy on use of personal electronic devices on campus and during school activities.

    • “Personal electronic device” is defined to include smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, computers, or other internet/wireless‑capable devices not provided by the school.
    • The policy must prohibit physical access to personal devices during the school day as defined by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, except when:
    • authorized by a school administrator for an individual student’s needs;
    • used pursuant to an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or a Section 504 plan; or
    • during an emergency.
    • School committees (or charter school trustees and superintendents) must prescribe the policy and enforcement rules.
    • Schools must notify parents/guardians of the policy and file it with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) in a form prescribed by DESE.

  • Each public school must adopt a policy to educate students on social, emotional, and physical risks/harms of social media use.

    • Policies must be posted on school websites and parents/guardians notified.
    • DESE, in consultation with the Attorney General’s office and Department of Public Health, must publish guidance and curriculum resources to help schools implement these policies and may update guidance regularly.

Online protection (new Chapter 93M — partial text provided)

  • Provides definitions for terms such as “account,” “algorithmic ranking system,” “social media platform,” “social media feed,” “minor,” etc.
  • Requires social media platforms to implement an age‑assurance/verification system using best available industry technology to identify users’ ages and determine appropriate access levels. (Text here is truncated; full scope and additional requirements not visible in the provided excerpt.)

Who would be affected

  • Public schools, school committees, superintendents, charter school trustees — must create, post, and file policies and implement guidance.
  • Students (especially minors) — limited physical access to personal devices during the school day; receive education about social media risks.
  • Parents/guardians — must be notified; may receive guidance on managing children’s social media use.
  • DESE, Attorney General’s office, Department of Public Health — tasked with producing guidance and resources.
  • Social media companies/platforms — subject to age‑assurance/verification requirements and other online‑protection obligations in Chapter 93M (full obligations not visible in truncated text).

Procedural status & timeline (selected)

  • Introduced: Jan 30, 2025 (Senate Docket No. 654)
  • Referred to Committee on Education (Feb 27, 2025); hearings scheduled (e.g., 06/17/2025).
  • Passed Senate: June 5, 2025; delivered to House and referred to Economic Development (June 5, 2025).
  • Accompanied by a new draft S.2549 (filed July 10, 2025).
  • Note: legislative action records list multiple committee referrals and scheduling events.

Notes & uncertainties

  • The bill text provided is incomplete: the Chapter 93M section is truncated; therefore additional substantive platform obligations, enforcement mechanisms, penalties, or agency authority may appear in the full text or in S.2549.
  • Some metadata (sponsor lists) appears inconsistent with the Massachusetts context in the bill text; the effective sponsors in the petition are state senators including Julian Cyr and others.

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

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