Creates a criminal offense for creating child sexual abuse visual material with lascivious intent when the person knows, or has reason to know, the depicted person is a minor, punishable by up to 10 years in state prison or 2½ years in a house of correction, a $10,000-$50,000 fine, or both.

Defines "child sexual abuse visual material" to include photographs, films, videos, pictures, or computer-generated or altered images that would falsely appear to a reasonable person to depict an authentic representation of a minor engaged in sexual conduct or sexual excitement, or in a state of nudity or partial nudity; applies this definition to the offense of knowing purchase or possession of such material; and permits proof of minority through testimony by the child, production personnel, or observers, or through expert medical testimony based on the material.

This bill introduces a system for the automated and expedited sealing of criminal records in Massachusetts. Under the bill, individuals no longer need to petition for the sealing of eligible criminal records after completing a designated waiting period. An automated mechanism will seal records within 30 days of eligibility, with waiting periods set at 3 years for misdemeanors and 7 years for felonies, provided there are no new offenses. However, certain firearm and government-related offenses are excluded from sealing, with exceptions for resisting arrest and decriminalized marijuana possession, which can be sealed upon request. For juvenile records, the bill introduces an automatic sealing process occurring 3 years post-offense or adjudication, absent any new offenses.

The bill directs the Commissioner of Probation and the Department of Criminal Justice Information Services to maintain records to include these release dates. The legislation also requires the commissioner to inform individuals at conviction or adjudication about the possibility of future record sealing.

The bill supports family caregivers, including a voucher program allowing claims of up to $1,500 for respite service expenses, subject to income qualifications. Additionally, a refundable tax credit of up to $1,500 is available for costs incurred in home modifications, equipment purchases, and caregiving services, also contingent upon income eligibility The bill also allows spouses to be compensated as caregivers under MassHealth, contingent federal approval. 

The bill also extends anti-discrimination protections to include individuals based on their status as family caregivers, ensuring they are not subject to discrimination in various contexts, and creates an advisory council on family caregiving, which will provide guidance to the state’s executive office and legislature on caregiving policies. 

This bill requires schools to limit student access to personal electronic devices during the school day. Exceptions are made for emergencies or educational needs. Schools must communicate these policies to parents and submit them to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education for oversight and guidance. Schools must also educate students on the social, emotional, and physical risks of social media use.

Social media platforms must implement nearly foolproof age verification systems and establish default privacy-focused settings for minors, including permitting communication and content sharing only with established connections, disabling features like autoplay and continuous scrolling, and barring access during certain hours, such as nighttime and school hours. Platforms are also required to include mechanisms for flagging unwanted content and must issue health warnings related to social media use. 

Requires school boards to adopt and enforce policies mandating that students' personal electronic communication devices-such as smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, wearables, and gaming devices-be turned off, locked away, and inaccessible for the entire school day and during any supervised school-related program, with access to a school-designated telephone for contacting parents and strict compliance provisions for students and employees; exempts device possession or use when medically necessary as determined by a licensed physician or required by a student's IEP or Section 504 plan.

Prohibits districts, employees, and volunteers from using social media to communicate with students; from allowing student access to social media or gaming apps during school hours or on school property; and from permitting social media access on school-issued devices, which must be configured to block such sites-while preserving school-to-parent/community communications and routine academic uses of email, shared documents, internet research, and electronic assignment submission.

Requires annual data collection on impacts to behavior, mental health, disciplinary incidents, attendance, and academic performance.

Establishes automatic, immediate sealing of criminal and juvenile case records when an offense does not result in a conviction or adjudication, absent the individual's objection at final disposition-including completion of any court-ordered supervision-with no petition or waiting period; permits later sealing upon request if the person initially objected.

Defines "conviction" for these purposes solely as a finding of guilt, excluding a continuance without a finding or a file disposition without a finding of guilt, and specifies that "guilty file" dispositions also carry no waiting period. Requires the Department to include a written presumption-of-innocence statement when providing criminal offender record information on pending charges or non-convictions, guarantees individuals and their legal representatives access to their sealed records without a court order with fees waived for indigent persons, and reduces criminal offender record information access limits by lowering specified numeric thresholds from 10 to 7 and from 5 to 3.

Requires school districts, charter and nonpublic schools, and contracted service providers to conduct comprehensive pre-employment screening for positions with direct or regular student contact-collecting applicant disclosures and authorizations; contacting former employers about any abuse or sexual misconduct investigations, discipline, separations, or license actions; verifying certification and eligibility; and checking the Department of Children and Families Central Registry, with any substantiated physical or sexual abuse disqualifying the applicant. Mandates follow-up requests when affirmative responses arise, permits provisional hiring for up to 90 days under specified conditions, bars hiring when applicants withhold required information, compels responses on standardized forms, protects good-faith disclosers, and makes received information confidential and limited to fitness determinations.

Establishes tailored rules for substitutes and contracted service providers-allowing initial reviews to remain valid within the same entity, requiring contractors to maintain records and notify schools of known incidents, and allowing schools to object to assignments after disclosure. Prohibits agreements or assistance that facilitate re-employment of individuals known or with probable cause to have engaged in sexual misconduct (subject to specified exceptions) and voids agreements that interfere with mandatory reporting or criminal processes; assigns enforcement to the Attorney General with civil penalties up to $10,000, authorizes contractor debarment for willful violations and referrals to licensing authorities, directs the Department of Education to collect and annually report aggregate data and develop standardized forms and notices, authorizes the Board of Education to promulgate regulations, and provides liability protections without creating a specific duty of care.

Criminalizes the creation, with lascivious intent and knowing or having reason to know the person depicted is a minor, of "child sexual abuse visual material," punishable by up to 10 years in state prison or 2½ years in a house of correction and fines of $10,000-$50,000.

Defines "child sexual abuse visual material" to include photographs, films, videos, pictures, and computer-generated images depicting sexual conduct, sexual excitement, or a minor in nudity or partial nudity that have been created, adapted, modified, or otherwise altered-including through digitization-to falsely appear to be, or include, an authentic depiction of a minor.

Authorizes proof that the person depicted is a minor through the child's testimony, testimony from a producer or observer of the material, or expert medical testimony based on physical appearance or inspection of the material, and applies this definition to the offense of knowing purchase or possession of such visual material.

The bill supports family caregivers, including a voucher program allowing claims of up to $1,500 for respite service expenses, subject to income qualifications. Additionally, a refundable tax credit of up to $1,500 is available for costs incurred in home modifications, equipment purchases, and caregiving services, also contingent upon income eligibility The bill also allows spouses to be compensated as caregivers under MassHealth, contingent federal approval. 

The bill also extends anti-discrimination protections to include individuals based on their status as family caregivers, ensuring they are not subject to discrimination in various contexts, and creates an advisory council on family caregiving, which will provide guidance to the state’s executive office and legislature on caregiving policies. 

Requires every public school or district to adopt and implement by the start of the 2026-2027 school year a personal electronic device policy that, at minimum, prohibits student physical access to such devices during the school day and sets standards for use on school grounds and at school-sponsored activities beyond the school day. Mandates clear exceptions for health and safety, disability-related accommodations (IEPs, 504 plans, ADA), travel to off-campus learning, multilingual learners, emergencies, and staff direction; requires one or more methods for parent-student contact during the day; and requires enforcement provisions applicable to students and employees that prevent inequitable discipline; policies may vary by grade level, must be approved by the appropriate governing body, and must be communicated to families.

Directs the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to issue guidance and model policies within 180 days-addressing avoidance of personal use of school-issued devices, options for secure storage of personal devices during the school day, and equitable enforcement-requires schools or districts to file their policies with the Department, requires regular updates to the guidance, and requires a report by December 31, 2027, on the impact of school personal device prohibitions.

Requires every public school and district to adopt and enforce a policy prohibiting student use and on-person possession of personal electronic devices on school grounds during the school day-including recess, lunch, and passing periods-and during school-sponsored activities held during the school day; mandates equitable, non-exclusionary enforcement that prohibits expulsion or suspension and requires at least one method for parent-student contact; and permits limited exceptions for IEP/504 or ADA accommodations, documented health needs, off-campus travel to learning opportunities, and case-specific exemptions such as emergencies, safety, teacher-directed instructional use, or multilingual learners.

Directs the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, after public input, to issue within 180 days guidance, recommendations, and a model policy-covering secure storage options, preventing personal use of school-issued devices, and enforcement safeguards-and to update them annually; if a local policy is not approved by September 1, the model policy takes effect.

Requires annual filing of local policies with the Department and annual notice to families, allows developmentally appropriate variations that do not expand use or possession beyond authorized exceptions, requires implementation before the 2026-2027 school year, and requires a report on implementation by December 31, 2027.

Requires every public school or district to adopt and enforce a policy prohibiting student use and on-person possession of personal electronic devices on school grounds during the school day-including recess, lunch, and passing time-and during school-sponsored activities held in the school day. Mandates at least one method for parent-student contact, including for emergencies; bars expulsion or suspension for violations while requiring safeguards against inequitable discipline; and limits exemptions to IEP/504 or other legal accommodations, documented medical necessity, off-campus travel to other learning opportunities, or case-specific exemptions authorized in the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's model policy.

Authorizes policies to vary by developmental level and school schedules but not to permit device use or on-person possession beyond those exemptions; requires annual notice to families and approval by the local governing body after public input; defaults to the Department's model policy if a local policy is not approved by September 1; and sets an adoption deadline before the 2026-2027 school year. Directs the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to issue recommendations, guidance, and a model policy within 180 days-including secure storage options, limits on personal use of school-issued devices, and enforceable compliance provisions-to solicit public input, review and update materials annually to reflect research and technological advances (including technology that may render devices inoperable), collect annual policy filings, and report on implementation by December 31, 2027.