North Carolina Rep. Hall’s internet safety policy bill passes House and Senate

Passed bill sponsored by State Rep. Hall seeks to require local boards of education to adopt internet safety policies restricting unlawful online activities and promoting student awareness of social media impacts, according to the North Carolina State House.

In the House, 45 Democrats and 67 Republicans voted in favor of the bill.

Meanwhile, in the Senate, 17 Democrats and 27 Republicans voted in favor of the bill, while one Republican voted against it.

Hall filed the bill in the North Carolina House on April 10 during the 2025 regular session.

The legislation, known as HB 959, was passed on June 3 during the 2025 regular session.

According to the North Carolina General Assembly site, the bill’s official text was formally listed with the short title: “Protecting Students in a Digital Age.”

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, this bill mandates North Carolina local boards of education to adopt an Internet Safety Policy, focusing on restricting student access to age-appropriate content and ensuring safe electronic communication. The policy includes measures to prohibit students from engaging in unlawful online activities and prevent access to websites that risk disclosing personal information. Additionally, the use of social media platforms is prohibited unless for educational purposes under teacher supervision, with an outright ban on TikTok on devices provided by the school. It further requires schools to deliver instruction on the impacts of social media on health, covering topics like addiction, misinformation, and cyberbullying. This instruction is to be integrated throughout elementary to high school education, with special emphasis on identifying and reporting online dangers. The act is effective upon becoming law and applies starting the 2025-26 school year.

The bill was sponsored by Rep. Hugh Blackwell (Republican-86th District), Rep. Kyle Hall (Republican-91st District), and Rep. Brian Biggs (Republican-70th District).

Bills in North Carolina follow a multi-step process before becoming law. A lawmaker starts by filing a bill, which is assigned to a committee for review. The bill must be read three times in each chamber. If one chamber changes the bill after the other passes it, both must agree on the final version. Once both chambers approve the same bill, it goes to the governor, who has 10 days (or 30 if the legislature is not in session) to sign, veto, or let it become law without a signature.

You can read more about the bills and other measures here.

Hall graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2012 with a BA.

Hall, a Republican, was elected to the North Carolina State House in 2015 to represent the state’s 91st House district, replacing previous state representative Bryan Holloway.

Under North Carolina law, bills must receive three readings in each chamber. According to the UNC School of Government, once a bill “passes its constitutionally required second reading and moves to its constitutionally required third reading,” additional debate can occur, but the final stage is often treated as a formality. Unless a legislator requests a roll-call, the third reading may be approved by voice vote or unanimous consent without a separate recorded tally.