Indiana Targets Social Media Addiction Among Kids

Indiana has signed a wide-ranging new education law that includes fresh protections aimed at limiting the harmful effects of social media on children under 16.

Backed by Rep. Robert Behning in the House and Sen. Jeff Raatz in the Senate, the measure covers much more than online safety. It also makes changes to workforce reporting, state data transparency, and Ivy Tech Community College governance. Still, its social media section is likely to draw the most attention from parents concerned about how much control digital platforms have over children’s daily lives.

A Broad Education Measure With a High-Profile Digital Provision

Though much of the conversation around the law has focused on its impact on social media use, the legislation is fundamentally an education and workforce package.

It expands access to certain state performance and workforce data, adds the state workforce development board to the list of workforce-focused agencies, and creates new expectations for Ivy Tech campus boards. Campuses will be required to review building usage before approving capital requests, develop strategic plans tied to statewide goals, and provide more regular reporting on performance, labor market outcomes, and student success.

Those provisions are designed to tighten accountability and better align education programs with workforce demand across Indiana.

But the most publicly visible piece of the law is the section aimed at protecting adolescents from addictive social media features.

Parental Consent Becomes the Gatekeeper

Under the new law, social media providers must use commercially reasonable methods to determine the age and Indiana residency of someone trying to create an account. If the platform determines the prospective user is younger than 16, the account cannot be created unless a parent or legal guardian gives verifiable consent.

That shifts the decision back to families and creates a new compliance burden for major social media companies operating in the state.

If a parent does approve an account, the platform must still limit certain features for that young user. The law blocks adolescents from receiving direct messages from accounts they have not linked to, appearing in search results to strangers, and receiving content, recommendations, or advertising based on their usage patterns.

It also targets the design features critics say are built to keep kids hooked.

Targeting the Features That Keep Kids Scrolling

Among the features restricted for users under 16 are endless or continuously loading feeds, pages without a visible stopping point, public reaction counts, autoplay video, and live streaming.

Supporters say those tools are not just convenient design choices but engagement mechanisms that can keep children online longer than intended.

The law also gives parents stronger oversight if they allow their child on a platform. Providers must offer parents a separate password that lets them monitor how much time their child spends on the platform, set daily or weekly time limits, control what times of day the child can log in, and access the account when needed.

Beginning January 1, 2027, platforms will also have to continue estimating users’ ages after certain usage thresholds are reached. If a company later determines an Indiana user is under 16 and proper parental consent was never obtained, that account could face termination.

A Consumer Protection Backstop

Indiana lawmakers also included an enforcement hook with real teeth. Violations of the social media requirements are treated as deceptive acts under state consumer protection law, meaning the attorney general can pursue enforcement against companies that fail to comply.

The result is a law that blends education oversight, workforce reforms, and digital-age parenting concerns into one sweeping package. For Indiana families, the most immediate takeaway may be simple: when it comes to social media and minors, parents are being handed more authority — and platforms are being told to adapt.