Walz Signs Expanded Social Media Protections For Minnesota Kids

(KNSI) – Governor Tim Walz on Tuesday signed legislation expanding Minnesota’s protections for children using social media, requiring parental consent for users under 16 and banning addictive design features on child accounts.

House File 4138 amends the state’s Stop Harms From Addictive Social Media (SHASM) statute, adding new privacy safeguards, parental controls, and restrictions on how platforms can engage young users.

Under the new law, social media platforms must obtain verifiable parental consent before allowing children under 16 to create or maintain accounts. Child accounts will default to the highest privacy settings, and parents will have tools to monitor and limit their child’s usage.

The law also prohibits platforms from using addictive design features on child accounts, including infinite scroll, autoplay video, and push notifications. Targeted paid commercial advertising directed at child users is also banned.

Large social media platforms will be required to make reasonable efforts to identify child users and apply appropriate protections.

Families can request account deletion, and the Attorney General’s office will have authority to enforce violations through legal action.

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