Two Ohio lawmakers have introduced a bill to more strictly regulate minors’ access to online gaming, two months after the death of Hailey Buzbee, a 17-year-old from Indiana.
In late January, authorities arrested 39-year-old Tyler Thomas in connection with Buzbee’s death, accusing him of driving Buzbee from Fortville, Indiana, to central Ohio overnight “with the intent to engage in illicit sexual activity.” Her body was located in Wayne National Forest.
Thomas allegedly met Buzbee through online video game sites, like Roblox and League of Legends, according to U.S. Southern District of Ohio court documents.
Sen. Michele Reynolds (R-Canal Winchester) said Friday that Buzbee’s death is why those and other gaming sites need to verify ages and ask parents for permission before allowing minors onto their sites.
“The reality is that we’re raising children in a digital age, an age where you don’t necessarily see who their friends are because they have friends online,” Reynolds said. “You cannot monitor what a system hides, you cannot guide what you do not see and this legislation restores that visibility.”
But a judge already ruled a similar law couldn’t go into effect because of its unconstitutionality. The Social Media Parental Notification Act was included in the state budget in summer 2023 and was set to become law in January 2024.
In the original January 2024 lawsuit against the Social Media Parental Notification Act, the trade association NetChoice argued it was too broad and violated the First and Fourteenth Amendments.
As introduced by Reynolds and Sen. Kristina Roegner (R-Hudson), Senate Bill 379—dubbed Hailey’s Law—has numerous additional measures. “It’s the Wild, Wild West,” Reynolds said.
SB 379 creates a statewide registry of security camera footage managed by the Ohio Attorney General. It adds grooming awareness education as required curriculum for Ohio students. And it establishes a “Pink Alert” for cases that might not meet Amber Alert standards.
