Minnesota

Subnational jurisdiction · as of 2026-07-15

Minnesota enacted the STOP HARMS from Addictive Social Media Act as part of House File 4138, signed May 26, 2026, which will require covered social media platforms to estimate users' ages, obtain verifiable parental consent for accounts they must treat as belonging to a child, default to the most private settings, and disable addictive interface features such as infinite scroll and autoplay for children, effective July 1, 2027.

The Act includes a private right of action for children and parents in addition to Attorney General enforcement as a deceptive trade practice. A separate bill that would require anonymous age verification for websites with material harmful to minors (HF 1434, companion SF 2105) has not advanced past committee, so Minnesota has no adult content age verification, app store age verification, or comprehensive design code law.

A related 2025 law, Minn. Stat. 325M.335, requires a mental health warning label on social media platforms effective July 1, 2026; it applies to users of all ages rather than gating by age, and the state has agreed not to enforce it while NetChoice's First Amendment challenge (NetChoice v. Ellison, D. Minn. No. 0:26-cv-2405) is pending.

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Instruments on record

HF 4138 (2026), STOP HARMS from Addictive Social Media Act

Enacted, not yet in force

Minn. Stat. §§ 325M.33, 325M.40 (2026 Minn. Laws ch. 111)

Effective 2027-07-01 · Applies to private

Requires a covered social media platform (10,000 or more account holders, or at least $1 billion in worldwide revenue) to estimate a new account holder's age after 25 hours of use within six months, treating the user as a child (age 15 or younger) unless it can conclude with 80 percent confidence the user is 16 or older, rising to a 90 percent confidence threshold at 50 hours of use.

Child accounts require verifiable parental consent, must default to the most private settings, and may not display addictive interface features such as infinite scroll, autoplay, push notifications, or targeted advertising.

Age threshold16
Verification methodsself declaration, parental consent
PenaltiesActual damages or $10,000 in statutory damages, whichever is greater, for a reckless or knowing violation, plus possible punitive damages and attorney fees; also enforceable as a deceptive trade practice.
Enforcement bodyMinnesota Attorney General, plus a private right of action for a child or parent
Private suitsyes

Source: Full text of law