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Legislative Tracker

Public-source posture estimateNot legal adviceMap regenerated2026-05-08 · 8 May 2026

Youth & Social Media

Rhode Island

In motion.Trending toward more guardrails.

Takes effect 2027-01-01 · 1 January 2027

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Not yet effective. The rule has been adopted but its effective date has not arrived.

Sources

webserver.rilegislature.govRhode Island H7953 — Rhode Island Social Media Regulation Act (bill text)

Why this status

Rhode Island H7953 (the Rhode Island Social Media Regulation Act), introduced February 27, 2026, would prohibit minors from holding accounts on covered social-media platforms and require age verification by platforms. The bill carries a stated effective date of January 1, 2027 if enacted — but it had been referred to committee with no further action as of the May 5, 2026 review. So no new state rule is in force in Rhode Island today.

What this means

There is no Rhode Island rule on minors and social media in force today — only existing federal rules and each platform's own age and consent policies apply.
The bill, if enacted, would place age-verification duties on social-media companies and prohibit minors from opening or holding accounts on covered platforms starting January 1, 2027.
Committee referral is one of several steps. Committee passage, floor votes in both chambers, and the Governor's signature still need to happen for H7953 to become law.

What to verify next

Track H7953 on the Rhode Island Legislature site for committee action, floor votes, or the Governor's signature.
Watch for a Senate companion bill — measures on this topic often advance through parallel chambers, and the Senate version could be the one that ultimately enacts.

How this was scored →