Cybersecurity Policy Report, Idaho Governor Signs Social Media Safety Bill, (Apr 3, 2026)

By Tony Foley

Idaho Gov. Brad Little (R.) signed legislation yesterday requiring large social media platforms in the state to implement age estimation, obtain parental consent for child users, and restrict addictive features and targeted ads for children.

The Stop Harms from Addictive Social Media Act (H.B. 542, Reg Sess.) specifically requires large platforms to estimate the age of Idaho account holders using reasonable means and to treat users as children unless they can determine with high confidence that the user is 16 or older. For children, the law requires social media platforms to obtain verifiable parental consent before creating or maintaining accounts, and to set all privacy settings to default to the most private levels. Parents must be given options to monitor and limit their child’s usage, including setting time limits and access windows.

The legislation further prohibits the use of addictive interface features and profile-based paid commercial advertising to children. Platforms are required to terminate accounts for minors upon request from the account holder or parent within specified timeframes and provide clear means for parents to request such termination. If an account is terminated due to lack of parental consent, the platform must notify the user and allow 30 days to dispute the age classification or provide consent.

The bill (H.B. 542) was sponsored by Rep. Brent Crane (R.) and is scheduled to take effect on July 1.

News: StateLegislation DataPrivacy