Alaska House Approves HB47 Banning AI Child Sexual Imagery, Affecting North Slope

The Alaska House passed House Bill 47 on Feb. 27, 2026, creating new state felony charges for creating, possessing or sharing AI‑generated child sexual abuse material and adding sweeping social media rules for users under 18 that could affect the North Slope Borough School District’s students and school‑issued devices. The measure passed 39‑0 with Rep. Neal Foster absent and now advances to the Alaska State Senate and the governor; a companion bill already exists in the Senate.

Sponsor Rep. Sarah Vance of Homer framed HB 47 as closing a legal gap that required proof of harm to an actual child. “Currently in statute, you have to prove the harm of an actual child,” she said on the House floor. “What this bill does is say that anything that is generated obscene material of minors will be criminalized to the same level as if it were a real child.” Alaska Beacon reported the bill would enact new state felony charges for AI‑generated depictions that visually depict sexually explicit or obscene content involving anyone under 18.

Lawmakers expanded the bill during debate to add civil and misdemeanor penalties and to broaden coverage beyond AI CSAM. Rep. Calvin Schrage’s final amendment would allow a civil fine of $1,000,000 each time an AI system is used to generate child sexual abuse material; Schrage said he hoped the amendment “incentivizes large companies to implement controls against customers using their products for ‘malicious, nefarious and, I would say, disgusting purposes.’” ADN and other coverage flagged that an amendment also classifies creating a forged digital likeness for harassment as a Class A misdemeanor.

HB 47’s scope was broadened on the House floor to regulate platforms’ treatment of minors. The package requires platforms to verify every user’s age, obtain written parental consent before minors register, give parents access to their children’s posts and messages, ban targeted advertising and data collection for advertising from minors, and prohibit algorithmic “addictive features” for users under 18. The bill also requires social media apps to block teen access by default between 10:30 p.m. and 6:30 a.m., with only parents allowed to modify that curfew. Tech reporting noted penalties up to $10,000 per occurrence for platform violations of the minors’ provisions.

House debate included testimony that broadened the bill to protect adults from nonconsensual depictions. Rep. Alyse Galvin recounted an AI‑generated video posted online that depicted her making homophobic comments and using a derogatory slur as a justification for harassment protections, and Alaska Beacon reported the bill would prohibit distribution of generated sexual depictions of adults without their consent and bar distribution of “forged digital likenesses.”

Questions remain about implementation that matter for North Slope communities. Coverage cited concerns from some representatives about adding broad platform rules without consulting companies, and outlets noted the House modeled social media amendments after Utah — whose similar law later faced a preliminary injunction — raising the prospect of legal challenges. Reporters and school officials in the North Slope should expect follow up on how age verification and parental access would apply to school networks and school‑issued devices, whether the bill contains carveouts for educational accounts, and which state agency would enforce $1,000,000 civil fines or the $10,000 per occurrence penalties.

With the House vote completed, HB 47’s fate now depends on the Alaska State Senate and the governor; if enacted, the new criminal penalties, civil fines and platform rules would reshape how youth across the North Slope Borough access and are monitored on social media.