By Mike Cason
The Alabama House of Representatives has passed a bill that would require makers of cellphones and tablets to equip the devices with a filter to block pornography that would be activated when the device is activated for use by a minor.
The bill, HB167 by Rep. Chris Sells, R-Greenville, passed by a vote of 98-0. It moves to the Senate.
Republican and Democratic lawmakers spoke in support of the bill during the brief time it was discussed before the vote.
Sells has sponsored similar bills since 2019. His bill passed the House last year but did not pass the Senate. Sells said he was optimistic the bill could pass the Senate and become law this year.
HB167 says that beginning on Jan. 1, 2026, all smartphones and tablets activated in the state must contain a filter, determine the age of the user during activation and account set-up, and set the filter to “on” for minor users. The devices must include the capability to deactivate and reactivate the filter with a password.
The filter must be able to block access to obscenity as it is defined under state law.
The bill says a manufacturer can be subject to civil and criminal liability if a device is activated in the state, does not, upon activation, enable a filter that complies with the law, and a minor accesses obscene material on the device.
The bill says retailers would not be liable.
“I just want to protect these children,” Sells said. “I feel bad that it’s went on as long as it has and we haven’t done anything about it.”
Sells said he did not think it would be difficult for manufacturers to comply with the law because the phones are already equipped with the filters and the automatic activation for users who are minors would be a matter of changing software. He said several other states have passed similar bills.
