CIVIC LANE Lawmakers introduced nearly 300 state children's online safety laws this year, targeting how companies collect data from minors and expose them to harmful content, predatory behavior, and addictive features. Recent jury verdicts against Meta and Google have added momentum to this legislative push. Twenty-six states now require age verification to restrict minors' access to adult websites, with West Virginia becoming the latest to pass such legislation. These laws typically apply to sites where one-third or more of content is deemed "materially harmful" to minors.