Tennessee Senate Advances Bills on Children’s Safety, Youth Fitness, and Consumer Protections

The Tennessee Senate is moving forward with several bills aimed at protecting children, promoting student health, and strengthening consumer rights.

The Judiciary Committee approved Senate Bill 2061, which would create the Children’s Digital Protection Fund. The fund would collect money recovered from legal actions against social media and gaming companies linked to harm to minors. Settlements, civil penalties, and interest would be directed exclusively to children’s mental health services, research, suicide prevention, and law enforcement efforts focused on online safety. The State Treasurer and Attorney General would oversee the fund. The bill now heads to the Finance Committee for fiscal review.

In another initiative, the Senate Education Committee advanced Senate Bill 1979 to reintroduce competitive fitness assessments in Tennessee schools. The bill would reinstate the Presidential Fitness Test, measuring cardiovascular endurance and other physical fitness indicators. Students would be encouraged to set personal goals, and participation would not affect academic grades. Accommodations would be provided for students with IEPs or Section 504 plans.

Lawmakers also approved Senate Bill 1735, updating Tennessee’s consumer protection laws. The legislation targets hidden fees, strengthens privacy safeguards including biometric data, and prevents costly legal discovery requests from out-of-state corporations. The bill also speeds up case resolution and reinforces limits on certain class-action lawsuits, ensuring Tennesseans see the full cost of products before making purchases.