--- title: HR 1749. House Study Committee on the Impact of Multiplayer Online Gaming Platforms; create collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr1749 cite_as: HR 1749, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1749 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1749.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1749/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74190 date: 2026-03-25 status: introduced corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13 license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1748.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1750.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 189 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1749.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 1749 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2026-03-18 last_action: House Committee Favorably Reported sponsors: - Rob Clifton - Holt Persinger - Kimberly New - Beth Camp - Tyler Smith - Todd Jones text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR1749/2025 upstream_id: 2135918 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - online gaming - child safety - internet privacy - legislative study committees - technology regulation --- # HR 1749. House Study Committee on the Impact of Multiplayer Online Gaming Platforms; create ## Text House Resolution 1749 By: Representatives Clifton of the 131st, Persinger of the 119th, New of the 40th, Camp of the 135th, Smith of the 18th, and others A RESOLUTION Creating the House Study Committee on the Impact of Multiplayer Online Gaming Platforms; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, in the 21st century, children regularly engage in games online using various platforms, including multiplayer online gaming platforms that provide access to a vast library of games created by users around the world and that enable direct communication with other users; and WHEREAS, such online games are complex and immersive, and they may allow children to access violent and graphic imagery and content; and WHEREAS, online gaming platforms extend beyond mere gaming and promote socialization on other online platforms that enable children to communicate directly with unknown persons; and WHEREAS, children undergo rapid and evolving physical, mental, and emotional development, rendering them more susceptible to the allure of peer pressure, novelty, and rewards inherent in the usage of online gaming and private communication platforms; and WHEREAS, utilizing online gaming platforms can expose children to significant privacy and safety risks; and WHEREAS, existing online protections addressing children may be outdated and ineffective at preventing young children from accessing content that is not age-appropriate; and WHEREAS, study is needed to evaluate the impact of multiplayer online gaming platforms on children, including evaluation of the risks and benefits of such platforms, consideration of how existing online access and privacy protections may be improved and strengthened to ensure safer access to such platforms, and to determine whether regulation is needed. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES: (1) Creation of House study committee. There is created the House Study Committee on the Impact of Multiplayer Online Gaming Platforms. (2) Members and officers. The committee shall be composed of five members of the House of Representatives to be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives. The Speaker shall designate a member of the committee as chairperson of the committee. (3) Powers and duties. The committee shall undertake a study of the conditions, needs, issues, and problems mentioned above or related thereto and recommend any action or legislation which the committee deems necessary or appropriate. (4) Meetings. The chairperson shall call all meetings of the committee. The committee may conduct such meetings at such places and at such times as it may deem necessary or convenient to enable it to exercise fully and effectively its powers, perform its duties, and accomplish the objectives and purposes of this resolution. (5) Allowances and funding. The legislative members of the committee shall receive the allowances provided for in Code Section 28-1-8 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated. The allowances authorized by this resolution shall not be received by any member of the committee for more than four days unless additional days are authorized. Funds necessary to carry out the provisions of this resolution shall come from funds appropriated to the House of Representatives. (6) Report. (A) In the event the committee adopts any specific findings or recommendations that include suggestions for proposed legislation, the chairperson shall file a report of the same prior to the date of abolishment specified in this resolution, subject to subparagraph (C) of this paragraph. (B) In the event the committee adopts a report that does not include suggestions for proposed legislation, the chairperson shall file the report, subject to subparagraph (C) of this paragraph. (C) No report shall be filed unless the same has been approved prior to the date of abolishment specified in this resolution by majority vote of a quorum of the committee. A report so approved shall be signed by the chairperson of the committee and filed with the Clerk of the House of Representatives. (D) In the absence of an approved report, the chairperson may file with the Clerk of the House of Representatives a copy of the minutes of the meetings of the committee in lieu thereof. (7) Abolishment. The committee shall stand abolished on December 1, 2026. ## Summaries written by Georgia Commons The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the resolution. Quote the text, not the summary. A Georgia House resolution would create a five-member study committee to examine how multiplayer online gaming platforms affect children and whether new state regulation is needed. ### Plain-language summary This resolution does not change any law by itself. Instead, it creates the House Study Committee on the Impact of Multiplayer Online Gaming Platforms, a temporary panel of five state representatives appointed by the Speaker of the House. The committee's job is to look into how online multiplayer games and the communication features built into them affect children, including exposure to graphic content, contact with strangers, and privacy and safety risks. The committee can hold meetings, gather information, and eventually recommend legislation if members think it is needed. Members get standard legislative daily allowances (O.C.G.A. § 28-1-8) for up to four meeting days, paid from the House's existing budget. Any findings or recommended legislation must be approved by a majority of a quorum and filed with the Clerk of the House. The committee automatically ends on December 1, 2026. ### What it does - Creates a temporary House Study Committee on the Impact of Multiplayer Online Gaming Platforms made up of five representatives chosen by the Speaker. - Directs the committee to study how online multiplayer gaming platforms affect children, including privacy, safety, and content-access risks. - Authorizes the committee to recommend future legislation or regulatory changes based on its findings. - Allows committee members to receive standard legislative per diem and travel allowances for up to four meeting days, funded through the House's budget. - Requires any approved findings or recommendations to be filed as a report with the Clerk of the House before the committee ends. - Sets December 1, 2026 as the date the committee automatically dissolves. ### Who it affects The five House members appointed to serve on the committee, children who use multiplayer online gaming platforms, and the video game and technology companies that operate those platforms, since the committee's eventual recommendations could target their practices. ### Why it matters No rules for gaming platforms or protections for children change right away. The practical effect is that state lawmakers would spend time examining the issue and could later propose legislation on online safety, content access, or privacy protections for children based on what the committee finds. ### Key provisions - Paragraph (1) formally creates the House Study Committee on the Impact of Multiplayer Online Gaming Platforms. - Paragraph (2) sets committee size at five House members, appointed by the Speaker, who also names the chairperson. - Paragraph (3) gives the committee authority to study the issues described in the resolution and recommend action or legislation. - Paragraph (5) ties member pay to existing legislative allowance law (O.C.G.A. § 28-1-8) and caps paid days at four unless more are authorized. - Paragraph (6) lays out reporting rules, requiring majority approval of any findings before they can be filed with the Clerk of the House. - Paragraph (7) abolishes the committee on December 1, 2026. ## Status - Status: Introduced (2026-03-18) - Last action: House Committee Favorably Reported (2026-03-25) - Sponsors: Rob Clifton, Holt Persinger, Kimberly New, Beth Camp, Tyler Smith, Todd Jones - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74190 > The history, votes, and amendments (189 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1749.md?full=1