New Jersey Kids Code Act
New Jersey, United States- Introduced
- Passed House
- Passed Senate
- Became Law
New Jersey's copy of California's design code. It makes platforms judge which users are children, which pushes age ID checks onto everyone.
Latest update
Signed by Governor Sherrill
Current position
Signed into law, August 2026
What it does
Signed August 11, 2026, as P.L.2026 c.73, after the Legislature passed it June 30. The Kids Code Act (A4015/S3413) writes an age-appropriate design code into New Jersey law. Platforms must limit the data they collect from minors, default young users to the highest privacy settings, restrict features built to keep them scrolling, put safeguards on contact between minors and adults, and give children and parents control over algorithmic recommendations. Governor Sherrill signed it inside a three-bill package that also set up a Social Media Research Center (A4014/S3411) and directed that center to study warning labels (S3412/A4013).
Why it matters
A design code only works if the platform knows who is a child, so it pushes sites to estimate the age of every user. That is age ID checks arriving through the side door, sorting adults from minors before anyone can load a page. The matching laws in California and Maryland are already tied up in court on free speech grounds, and New Jersey's version invites the same fight.
Our take
The child-safety label is the wrapper; the age check is the product. New Jersey has now joined California and Maryland in ordering platforms to guess your age before they serve you a page. Watch the courts: NetChoice has these design codes blocked or challenged in both of those states, and New Jersey stepped onto the same ground.
Timeline
Signed by Governor Sherrill
LatestPassed the New Jersey Legislature
Sponsors
Raj Mukherji (D), Linda Greenstein (D), Andrea Katz (D)
Votes
- Assembly — Final passage (73 to 5) · June 30, 2026