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La. Rev. Stat. § 14:91.5 (2026)

Unlawful use of a social networking website

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§91.5. Unlawful use of a social networking website

           A. The following shall constitute unlawful use of a social networking website:

           (1) The intentional use of a social networking website by a person who is required to register as a sex offender and who was convicted of R.S. 14:81 (indecent behavior with juveniles), R.S. 14:81.1 ( child sexual abuse materials), R.S. 14:81.3 (computer-aided solicitation of a minor), or R.S. 14:283 (video voyeurism) or was convicted of a sex offense as defined in R.S. 15:541 in which the victim of the sex offense was a minor.

           (2) The provisions of this Section shall also apply to any person convicted for an offense under the laws of another state, or military, territorial, foreign, tribal, or federal law which is equivalent to the offenses provided for in Paragraph (1) of this Subsection, unless the tribal court or foreign conviction was not obtained with sufficient safeguards for fundamental fairness and due process for the accused as provided by the federal guidelines adopted pursuant to the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006.

           B. For purposes of this Section:

           (1) "Minor" means a person under the age of eighteen years.

           (2)(a) "Social networking website" means an Internet website, the primary purpose of which is facilitating social interaction with other users of the website and has all of the following capabilities:

           (i) Allows users to create web pages or profiles about themselves that are available to the general public or to any other users.

           (ii) Offers a mechanism for communication among users.

           (b) "Social networking website" shall not include any of the following:

           (i) An Internet website that provides only one of the following services: photo-sharing, electronic mail, or instant messaging.

           (ii) An Internet website the primary purpose of which is the facilitation of commercial transactions involving goods or services between its members or visitors.

           (iii) An Internet website the primary purpose of which is the dissemination of news.

           (iv) An Internet website of a governmental entity.

           (3) "Use" shall mean to create a profile on a social networking website or to contact or attempt to contact other users of the social networking website.

           C.(1) Whoever commits the crime of unlawful use of a social networking website shall, upon a first conviction, be fined not more than ten thousand dollars and shall be imprisoned with hard labor for not more than ten years without benefit of parole, probation, or suspension of sentence.

           (2) Whoever commits the crime of unlawful use of a social networking website, upon a second or subsequent conviction, shall be fined not more than twenty thousand dollars and shall be imprisoned with hard labor for not less than five years nor more than twenty years without benefit of parole, probation, or suspension of sentence.

           Added by Acts 2011, No. 26, §1, eff. August 15, 2011; Acts 2012, No. 205, §1, eff. August 1, 2012; Acts 2025, No. 261, §1, eff. August 1, 2025.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 13 cases (4 in the last 5 years), 1992–2024 · leading case: Doe v. Jindal, 853 F. Supp. 2d 596 (M.D. La. 2012).
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Doe v. Jindal, 853 F. Supp. 2d 596 (M.D. La. 2012). · cites it 7× “BACKGROUND On June -14, 2011, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal signed into law LSA-R.S.14:91.5, “Unlawful use or access of social media” (doc.”
State v. Murphy, 206 So. 3d 219 (La. Ct. App. 2016). · cites it 2× “3(B)(l)(c); and, on count six with unlawful use of a social networking website, a violation of LSA-R.S. 14:91.5(0(1). The defendant pled not guilty on all counts.”
Manuel v. State, 692 So. 2d 320 (La. 1996). · cites it 2× “R.S. 14:91.5, raising the minimum drinking age from eighteen to twenty-one in Louisiana.”
Godfrey v. Boston Old Colony Ins. Co., 718 So. 2d 441 (La. Ct. App. 1998). “R.S. 14:91.5, repealed by Acts 1995, No. 639, § 3; Acts 1996, 1 st Ex.”
Nelson v. Landry, 714 F. Supp. 3d 790 (M.D. La. 2024). · cites it 21× “R.S. § 14:91.5 for Unlawful Use of a Social Networking Website.”
Uhrbach v. Lin, 601 So. 2d 755 (La. Ct. App. 1992). “R.S. 14:91.5, it is unlawful for any person eighteen years of age or older and under twenty-one years of age to purchase or have public possession of any alcoholic beverage.”
State of Louisiana v. James Cody McMahon, 349 So. 3d 654 (La. Ct. App. 2022). · cites it 13× “R.S. 14:91.5, unlawful use of a social networking site.”
State v. Packingham, 748 S.E.2d 146 (N.C. Ct. App. 2013). “2012) (holding that La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 14:91.5 (2012) was unconstitutional, in part because “[t]he sweeping restrictions on the use of the internet for purposes completely unrelated to the activities sought to be banned by the Act impose severe and unwarranted restraints on…”
Mills v. Harris, 615 So. 2d 533 (La. Ct. App. 1993). “Only Harris, who purchased the alcohol, violated LSA-R.S. 14:91.5. New Start, in serving Harris, violated the Rapides Parish ordinance.”
State v. Broussard, 268 So. 3d 307 (La. Ct. App. 2018). “*308 Defendant, Cal Broussard, was charged by bill of Information with unlawful use of a social network website, a violation of LSA-R.S. 14:91.5 (count 1), and with failure to register as a sex offender, a violation of LSA-R.”
State Of Louisiana v. Todd Tripp, No. 2022KW0985 (La. Ct. App. Nov. 8, 2022). “R.S. 14:91.5 as unconstitutional is vacated.”
State of Louisiana v. Ronald Keith Berry, 314 So. 3d 1110 (La. Ct. App. 2021). “R.S. 14:91.5, which provides that sex offenders cannot have social media pages if they were convicted of an offense involving a minor child.”
Show all 13 citing cases →
La. Rev. Stat. § 14:91.5(A)(1): 2 cases
Doe v. Jindal, 853 F. Supp. 2d 596 (M.D. La. 2012). “BACKGROUND On June -14, 2011, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal signed into law LSA-R.S.14:91.5, “Unlawful use or access of social media” (doc.”
Nelson v. Landry, 714 F. Supp. 3d 790 (M.D. La. 2024). “R.S. § 14:91.5 for Unlawful Use of a Social Networking Website.”
La. Rev. Stat. § 14:91.5(B): 1 case
Doe v. Jindal, 853 F. Supp. 2d 596 (M.D. La. 2012). “BACKGROUND On June -14, 2011, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal signed into law LSA-R.S.14:91.5, “Unlawful use or access of social media” (doc.”
La. Rev. Stat. § 14:91.5(C)(1): 1 case
Doe v. Jindal, 853 F. Supp. 2d 596 (M.D. La. 2012). “BACKGROUND On June -14, 2011, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal signed into law LSA-R.S.14:91.5, “Unlawful use or access of social media” (doc.”
La. Rev. Stat. § 14:91.5(C)(3)(b): 1 case
Doe v. Jindal, 853 F. Supp. 2d 596 (M.D. La. 2012). “BACKGROUND On June -14, 2011, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal signed into law LSA-R.S.14:91.5, “Unlawful use or access of social media” (doc.”
La. Rev. Stat. § 14:91.5(c)(l): 1 case
Doe v. Jindal, 853 F. Supp. 2d 596 (M.D. La. 2012). “BACKGROUND On June -14, 2011, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal signed into law LSA-R.S.14:91.5, “Unlawful use or access of social media” (doc.”
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