Frankfort, KY — A Kentucky lawmaker is pushing a new bill that would use artificial intelligence to verify children’s ages on social media platforms — a move aimed at curbing the growing risks of online addiction and inappropriate content among minors.
Rep. Matt Lockett (R-Nicholasville) introduced the proposal during a meeting of the Kentucky Artificial Intelligence Task Force, outlining his plan for the Stop Harms from Addictive Social Media (SHASM) Act to be introduced during the 2026 legislative session.
“Our desire was to say, okay, well, we don’t want a bill that’s just going to go to court and get struck down for various reasons. But at the same time, we want to protect our children,” Lockett told lawmakers during the hearing.
Learning from Other States’ Legal Battles
Lockett explained that similar laws in Arkansas, California, Florida, Louisiana, Ohio, and Utah have faced significant First Amendment challenges and have been either blocked or delayed in court.
“Current laws and other states will say, well, a kid has to verify their age one time, and then they can do whatever they want to. All of us know that our teenagers, our kids, are craftier than that,” Lockett said.
To avoid the same fate, the Kentucky proposal moves away from direct age verification, which often requires users to submit personal documents, and instead relies on AI-driven “age estimation.”
According to FOX 56 News, Lockett’s approach seeks to strike a balance between privacy and protection by leveraging technology that social media platforms already use.
What the SHASM Act Would Do
The SHASM Act would require social media platforms to perform AI-based age estimation for every new account created in Kentucky.
Chelsey Youman, senior counsel at Alliance Defending Freedom, explained how this system would work:
“Instead of relying on age verification, which has not been upheld, where more data is collected on the back end, it utilizes what social media platforms are already doing.”
Platforms already analyze user behavior and engagement patterns to estimate a person’s age for targeted advertising. Lockett’s bill would repurpose that same AI technology to detect child accounts and require parental oversight.
“Within hours of a user making an account, they have an estimation to the year of how old the user is based on the way they interact online, and it requires them for children’s accounts that they identify within 14 days to take those accounts offline,” Youman told lawmakers.
Strengthening Parental Controls and Data Protections
Once identified, child accounts would need verifiable parental consent before being reactivated. Parents would be allowed to monitor how long their children spend on social media, manage the content they see, and restrict access when necessary.
The proposed bill also includes:
- Expanded parental controls for minors under 16.
- Automatic suspension of accounts for users identified as underage until verified by parents.
- Tighter data security measures to prevent children’s information from being shared with advertisers.
- Mandatory opt-in consent for children’s continued social media use.
“It’s about putting parents back in control while limiting the influence of addictive and harmful online environments,” Lockett emphasized.
Balancing Privacy, Free Speech, and Protection
The proposal reflects a growing nationwide debate on how far states can go in regulating minors’ online activity without violating free speech rights or user privacy.
Supporters of Lockett’s plan believe the AI-based system could finally withstand constitutional scrutiny where previous legislation has failed. Critics, however, caution that automated estimation tools may not always be accurate and could raise concerns over how platforms handle user data.
As the 2026 session approaches, Kentucky could become one of the first states to test AI-powered age safety laws aimed at protecting children in the digital age.
What are your thoughts on using artificial intelligence to safeguard children online? Share your views in the comments below.
