House Enrolled Act 1408 was signed into law this session, requiring parental consent for minors under sixteen to open social media accounts.
State Representative Joanna King of Middlebury says the goal is to shield youth from addictive features and harmful content.
The law also gives parents new tools to monitor their children’s activity and set time limits. It is set to take effect January first, twenty-twenty-seven.
“This is about common sense protections. Kids deserve a safer online environment and parents deserve more transparency and control when it comes to their children using social media,” Middlebury stated.
Additionally, for users under the age of 16, social media platforms must enact restrictions such as disabling addictive features like autoplay and infinite scrolling, limit or block targeted ads and algorithmic feeds, restrict who can message them, and reduce their visibility to strangers.
