BOISE, Idaho — The Idaho House on Monday advanced a bill aimed at reducing the harms of addictive social media design for children, voting 62-7 in favor of the measure.
House Bill 542 would create a new state law called the “Stop Harms from Addictive Social Media Act” and place restrictions on large social media companies that make at least $1 billion in worldwide advertising revenue.
The bill would require covered platforms to obtain verifiable parental consent before allowing Idaho children 16 and younger to open or keep an account. It would prohibit certain “addictive interface features” for children, including infinite scrolling, auto-play videos and push notifications.
"The dopamine hit that you get from a social media addiction is the same as any lethal drug," Rep. Jaron Crane said during the bill's discussion. "They built these platforms knowing that they're addicting our youth to something they can't say no to."
The bill also bans targeted, profile-based advertising for children and requires children’s accounts to default to the highest privacy settings.
Under the measure, parents and children could sue companies that violate the law, seeking damages and attorney fees, including up to $10,000 in statutory damages for "negligent or reckless" violations.
The bill now heads to the Idaho Senate.
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