Tennessee Teen Social Media and Internet Safety Act
Tennessee — Teen Social Media and Internet Safety Act (HB 825 / SB 811): Bans Student Social Media Over School Internet Except for Educational Purposes and Mandates Instruction in Grades 6-12 Covering Behavioral Manipulation and Artificial Intelligence Awareness
Tennessee · Tenn. HB 825 / SB 811 (114th Gen. Assemb.) — Teen Social Media and Internet Safety Act
- Status
- In effect
- Took effect
- August 1, 2025
- Applies to
- The Tennessee Department of Education, which must supply instructional guidance; Tennessee public school districts, which must restrict social media over school internet and implement the grades 6-12 instruction
- Enforced by
- Tennessee Department of Education; local education agencies
Tennessee's Teen Social Media and Internet Safety Act, enacted as HB 825 / SB 811 in the 114th General Assembly, does two distinct things and they arrived on different schedules. The first part bans students from accessing social media using the school internet except for educational purposes, and it took effect for the 2025-26 school year. The second part is an instructional mandate: the Tennessee Department of Education must give public schools guidance for teaching students in grades six through twelve about social media, internet AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE use and safety. The department had until January 1, 2026 to deliver that guidance, and the instruction itself is being implemented in the 2026-27 school year. The required instructional materials cover time management, mental health impacts, information distribution, BEHAVIORAL MANIPULATION, online safety, personal security, cyberbullying prevention and ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AWARENESS. The inclusion of behavioral manipulation as a named topic is the unusual part — most student internet-safety curricula teach children to protect themselves from other people, while this one requires teaching them how platforms and systems are designed to influence their own behaviour. The Act is sponsored by Rep. Aron Maberry and Sen. Bill Powers, both of Clarksville. It is also the reason Tennessee districts have been rewriting technology policies: Knox County Schools, for one, must align its rules with the new state requirements.
Who is protected: Tennessee public school students, particularly in grades 6 through 12
Legal detail
State of Tennessee — TEEN SOCIAL MEDIA AND INTERNET SAFETY ACT, HB 825 / SB 811, 114th General Assembly. TWO COMPONENTS ON SEPARATE TIMELINES: (1) ACCESS RESTRICTION, effective for the 2025-26 school year — students are BANNED FROM ACCESSING SOCIAL MEDIA USING THE SCHOOL INTERNET except for educational purposes. (2) INSTRUCTIONAL MANDATE — the Tennessee Department of Education must provide public schools with guidance on instructing students about SOCIAL MEDIA, INTERNET AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE use and safety for GRADES 6 THROUGH 12; the Department's deadline to supply that guidance was JANUARY 1, 2026, and classroom implementation falls in the 2026-27 SCHOOL YEAR. REQUIRED CURRICULUM TOPICS: time management; mental health impacts; information distribution; BEHAVIORAL MANIPULATION; online safety; personal security; cyberbullying prevention; and ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AWARENESS. THE 'BEHAVIORAL MANIPULATION' TOPIC IS THE DISTINGUISHING PROVISION: conventional student internet-safety curricula address threats from other individuals, whereas a mandate to teach how platforms and algorithmic systems are engineered to shape user behaviour makes the design of the product itself the subject of instruction. Coupled with the AI awareness requirement, Tennessee has legislated AI literacy into secondary education through a child-safety vehicle rather than a technology-standards vehicle \u2014 contrast Maryland AI Ready Schools Act, SB 720 (2026), which reaches the same destination through computer science and workforce preparation standards. SPONSORS: Rep. Aron Maberry (R-Clarksville) and Sen. Bill Powers (R-Clarksville). DOWNSTREAM EFFECT: Tennessee districts must align local technology policies with the Act; Knox County Schools was reworking its policies in mid-2026 partly on this basis, separately considering an elementary social media and email ban and AI-impersonation restrictions.
Key facts
| Jurisdiction | Tennessee |
|---|---|
| Level | State |
| Strength | Moderate |
| Citation | Tenn. HB 825 / SB 811 (114th Gen. Assemb.) — Teen Social Media and Internet Safety Act |
| Private right of action | No, agency enforcement only |
| Penalties | Students may not access social media over the school internet except for educational purposes; districts must implement the required instruction |
| Topics | education AI · children's online safety · government use of AI · consumer data privacy |
| News report | Tennessee students will soon get lessons on social media and internet safety — WKMS |
More AI rules in Tennessee
- TN SB 151 (2017 AV Act) · In effect
- TN drone trespass / FFUSA · In effect
- Tennessee HB 2163 (AI-generated child abuse images are illegal 'material') · In effect
- Tennessee Information Protection Act (opt out of automated profiling decisions) · In effect
- Tennessee SB 837 (AI is not a 'person' under TN law) · In effect
- Tennessee SB 1580 (AI can't claim to be a mental health professional) · In effect
Related education AI rules elsewhere
- Blanchester OH schools AI policy EDEC (Jun. 29, 2026) · In effect
- Portland Public Schools genAI pause (Jun. 23, 2026) · In effect
- CA AB 2148 no-AI school employees (2026) · Enacted (not yet in effect)
- FCPS formal generative AI restrictions — elementary ban, secondary authorization required · In effect
- NYC DOE Generative AI Moratorium (K-8, 2026-27) · In effect
- SF5231 · Expired
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