House Bill 18 Resources

On June 13, 2023, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed Texas House Bill No. 18, the Securing Children Online through Parental Empowerment Act, also known as the SCOPE Act. The SCOPE Act requires covered digital service providers to provide minors with certain data protections, prevent minors from accessing harmful content, and give parents tools to manage their child’s use of the service.

The new legislation covers student data protection, harmful content, parental tools and more. Full compliance requires multiple EdTech tools and goes well beyond the capabilities of school web content filters that have been deployed to be in compliance with the federal Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA). Relevant to Texas school districts, the bill specifically relates to the protection of minors from harmful, deceptive, or unfair trade practices in connection with the use of certain digital services and electronic devices, including the use and transfer of electronic devices to students by a public school.

The CyManII Educational Workforce Development Department has partnered with Technology Alliance for Statewide Initiatives (TASI) to address required objectives in Texas House Bill 18. EWD has created a series of six, animated, micro-learning videos that inform about common cybersecurity risks for children and best cyber-hygiene practices for parents to understand.  CyManII, is supporting House Bill 18 by providing cybersecurity resources and training to parents, helping them protect their children from online.