Washington SB 5708 / HB 1834 (Addictive Feeds)
Washington, United StatesMedium threatWashington's Attorney General-requested bill would have required addictive-feed services to estimate users' ages and withhold personalized feeds from anyone not shown to be an adult.
Latest update
Both bills died when the session ended
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Take action on this issueWhat it does
ESSB 5708 required operators of services built around an addictive feed to "estimate the age of minor users with a reasonable level of certainty." From January 1, 2026, they could not serve an addictive feed to a user unless they had "reasonably determined that the user is not a minor," and push notifications to users not shown to be adults were barred from midnight to 6 a.m. and from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on school weekdays without parental consent. Violations fell under the Consumer Protection Act. The House companion, 3SHB 1834, dropped the express estimation duty but kept the feed gate, starting July 1, 2027.
What’s at stake
Personalized feeds are how most large social platforms work. Any Washington user the operator could not classify as an adult would lose that feed, so adults would face pressure to prove their age to get the ordinary service back.
Our take
Washington copied New York's SAFE for Kids approach, which turns the feed into a reward for proving you are an adult. The Senate passed it 36-12, and the House companion cleared two committees before both stalled in Rules. The Attorney General asked for this bill, so a 2027 version is likely.
Timeline
Both bills died when the session endedLatest
SB 5708 moved to the Senate Rules X file
HB 1834 moved to the House Rules X file
House Appropriations passed a third substitute of HB 1834
Referred to House Consumer Protection and Business, which took no action
Senate passed ESSB 5708, 36-12
Senate Ways and Means and House Appropriations passed substitutes
HB 1834 substitute passed House Consumer Protection and Business
SB 5708 introduced
Sponsors
Sen. Noel Frame, Rep. Lisa Callan
Votes
- Senate — Passed (House never voted) (36 to 12) · March 12, 2025
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