House Bill 186 prohibits the use of social media platforms by children. The bill relies on the common law contract principle that a child under 18 years old cannot enter into an enforceable contract. Accordingly, a social media platform must verify that a person seeking to become an account holder is at least 18 years old before accepting the person as an account holder. The method of age verification mirrors existing Texas law, using “a commercially reasonable method that relies on public or private transactional data to verify the age of an individual” (Civil Practice and Remedies Code, Sec. 129B.003(b)(1)(B)). Personal information obtained may be used for age verification purposes only and must be deleted immediately upon verification. HB 186 also requires social media platforms to delete a child’s account within 10 days of receiving a request from a verified parent or guardian (Business & Commerce Code, Sec. 509.101)
Health Care
From Clipboard to Cloud: Ensuring Patient Privacy and Portability in Health Records
From Clipboard to Cloud: Ensuring Patient Privacy and Portability in Health Records Key Points HIPAA protects institutions, not information. Once health data leaves a covered entity for an app, vendor, or broker, federal protection ends, and Texas law leaves that gap open. The interest at stake is not only access to clinical records. It is...
August 12, 2026