HB1269: HB1269 Quality Basic Education Act; content standards for digital literacy instruction; provide

Georgia currently allows, but does not require, local school boards to teach students about online internet safety. This bill rewrites that law (O.C.G.A. § 20-2-149) to make digital literacy instruction mandatory rather than optional. The State Board of Education would have to adopt grade level appropriate content standards covering topics like online safety, evaluating digital information (including AI-generated content), digital communication, basic computer skills, and data management. Starting with the 2027-2028 school year, every local school board and public school governing body would have to provide instruction based on those standards, which could be woven into existing coursework. The Department of Education would develop model programs addressing topics such as social media's effects on mental health, misinformation, age verification, AI use, cyberbullying, and human trafficking risks. The department would also publish an annual report by December 1 on the reach and impact of online safety education, sent to House and Senate education committees.

• Requires the State Board of Education to adopt statewide content standards for digital literacy instruction covering topics like online safety, evaluating digital information, and basic computer skills.
• Makes digital literacy instruction mandatory for all K-12 students starting in the 2027-2028 school year, instead of leaving it optional for local school boards.
• Directs the Department of Education to build and periodically update model programs covering social media's mental health effects, misinformation, AI use, cyberbullying, and human trafficking risks.
• Requires the Department of Education to publish digital literacy materials and technical assistance on its website for local school boards.
• Creates a new annual reporting requirement, due each December 1, on the reach and impact of online safety education, sent to legislative education committees.

Georgia public school students in kindergarten through twelfth grade, local school boards and public school governing bodies that must deliver the new instruction, the State Board of Education, and the Department of Education, which must create standards, model programs, and annual reports.

Instead of online safety education being optional, every Georgia public school would have to teach students about topics like social media's mental health effects, misinformation, AI-generated content, and cyberbullying starting in the 2027-2028 school year, changing what students learn in class statewide.

• Section 1 rewrites O.C.G.A. § 20-2-149 to require the State Board of Education to adopt grade level content standards for digital literacy covering seven listed areas, including online safety and evaluation of AI-generated information.
• Subsection (b) makes instruction based on these standards mandatory for all K-12 students beginning with the 2027-2028 school year, though it can be folded into existing coursework.
• Subsection (c) directs the Department of Education to build model programs addressing social media's psychological effects, misinformation, age verification, AI use, cyberbullying, and human trafficking risks, and to update them periodically.
• Subsection (c)(4) requires the Department of Education to publish standards, model programs, and curricula online and provide technical assistance to local school boards.
• Subsection (d) creates an annual report, due by December 1, assessing the reach and impact of online safety education, to be sent to the House and Senate education committees.
• Subsection (e) preserves local boards' option to add further online safety components, including social media safety, on their own schedule.
• Section 2 repeals any conflicting laws.

1. 2026-03-03House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (House)
2. 2026-02-12House Second Readers (House)
3. 2026-02-11House First Readers (House)
4. 2026-02-10House Hopper (House)

• Will Wade (R, HD-009)Primary sponsor
• Matt Dubnik (R, HD-029)
• Todd Jones (R, HD-025)
• Miriam Paris (D, HD-142)
• Tim Fleming (R, HD-114)
• Rick Townsend (R, HD-179)

• digital literacy
• school curriculum
• online safety
• social media education
• K-12 education