Idaho HB 542 (Addictive Social Media)
What it does
Idaho HB 542, the Stop Harms from Addictive Social Media Act, covers platforms with at least a billion dollars in advertising revenue. After a user piles up 25, then 50, then 100 hours, the platform has to estimate their age and treat the account as a child's unless it can show 80 percent confidence the holder is over 16. Accounts read as a child's need verifiable parental consent, and the platform has to switch off infinite scroll, autoplay, constant notifications, and personalized ads for them.
Why it matters
Age estimation on heavy users means the platform builds a running guess about how old every Idahoan is from how they behave. Clearing the 80 percent bar to call someone an adult is hard, so the safe move for the company is to treat more people as children and gate more of what they see.
Our take
Idaho skipped the hard ban and reached for behavioral age estimation backed by a private right of action, so a negligent slip can draw a lawsuit for emotional distress. It is the softest-looking version of the age-gate fight and one of the easiest to sue over.
Votes
- House — Passed (62 to 7) · February 9, 2026
- Senate — Passed (amended) (21 to 14) · March 20, 2026
- House — Concurred (62 to 5) · March 25, 2026
Timeline
- April 1, 2026Signed into law (Chapter 268)
- July 1, 2026Took effect
Our coverage: all age-verification stories · Status checked July 19, 2026