Indiana parents who have been battling late-night scrolling and nonstop notifications just got some backup from the state. A new law, House Enrolled Act 1408, tightens parental control and age checks for social media accounts used by people younger than 16 and makes certain platform features off-limits for those users. The measure folds these rules into a new Article 16 of the Indiana Code and targets big, algorithm-driven services that lawmakers say lean on “addictive” design tricks. The social media provisions are set to take effect January 1, 2027, giving platforms and families time to get used to what is coming.
The bill moved quickly through the 2026 legislative session and was ceremonially signed this spring at the Statehouse, in a moment that brought the family of Hailey Buzbee, whose death helped spur the changes, to the governor’s pen, according to Indiana Capital Chronicle. State reporting describes the package as requiring parental consent for most accounts held by Indiana users under 16, limiting algorithmic recommendations and certain features lawmakers label addictive, and giving the attorney general authority to act if platforms do not comply. WRBI has also summarized what parents and platforms should expect once the rules kick in.
What the law does
Article 16 defines an “adolescent” as anyone younger than sixteen and spells out how covered providers must figure out whether an Indiana account holder meets that test. Social media services that fall under the law must determine an account holder’s age and, if they know or have reason to know the user is under 16, can allow the account only with verifiable parental consent or a successful age-estimation process. The statutory language and new code sections are laid out in the enrolled bill text. LegiScan
Which platforms are covered
The statute is written to hook large, algorithm-driven services: platforms that let users upload content, rely on recommendation algorithms, and meet certain tests for youth engagement or corporate scale, including a revenue threshold in the law. State materials describing the bill point to metrics such as a share of daily active users under 16 who average two hours per day, along with a checklist of design features the statute describes as addictive. Commission on Improving the Status of Children
Parental controls and feature limits
Once a parent or guardian provides verifiable consent, platforms must offer an option for a separate parental password that lets adults monitor time on the service, set daily and weekly limits, and control what hours of the day an adolescent can log on. The law also shuts off certain functions for adolescent accounts, including unlinked direct messaging, appearing in general search results, and receiving content or ads that are tailored from the adolescent’s patterns of use. It also aims at features like autoplay or seamless scrolling that can keep kids on a feed much longer than planned. Local coverage has outlined the practical changes parents should expect as the rules roll out. WIBC
Enforcement and the legal debate
The enrolled bill treats a platform’s violation as a deceptive act that the attorney general can enforce under Indiana’s consumer-protection statute, bringing with it the remedies already available under that law. Lawmakers fashioned that mechanism to give the state a clear path to push platforms into compliance rather than rely on private lawsuits. Civil liberties advocates counter that mandatory age-verification and identity checks create serious privacy and free-speech concerns. ACLU of Indiana has urged legislators to steer away from broad identity checks in favor of less invasive protections, while courts in other states have already weighed similar measures. Those details are reflected in the statutory language. LegiScan
Supporters argue the law finally gives parents real tools to protect kids online. Opponents say it raises hard practical and constitutional questions that platforms and, eventually, judges will have to sort out. The law’s ceremonial announcement and bill text were shared by Indiana House Republicans and covered by Indiana Capital Chronicle as advocates pushed for faster action on youth online safety.
