Passed 129-25 on April 9, 2026. Requires government ID, facial scans, or biometric data to access social media.
H.5349 requires every Massachusetts resident to verify their identity with government-issued identification, facial recognition scans, or other biometric data before accessing social media platforms.
The stated justification is protecting children from harmful online content. Ninety civil rights organizations opposed the bill, citing First Amendment concerns and the impact on LGBTQ+ youth, anonymous speech, and domestic violence survivors.
Federal judges have struck down similar laws in Florida, Louisiana, and Ohio on First Amendment grounds.
China requires government ID to access online platforms under its Minors Online Protection Regulation. The justification is the same: protecting young people.
Speaker Mariano on data privacy concerns: "Well, I'm sure we have, but the issue is that we're doing it to protect kids."
Xi Jinping's directive on the same subject: "为广大网民特别是青少年营造一个风清气正的网络空间." Create a clean and righteous cyberspace for internet users, especially young people.
Only two members of the majority party broke from leadership on this bill:
Independence rank: #18 of 208
Career break rate: 6.1%
Career breaks: 71 / 1173
Independence rank: #20 of 208
Career break rate: 4.5%
Career breaks: 27 / 602
These are the same two names that appear at the top of the intra-majority dissent rankings across the full nine-year dataset.