Walz Signs Minnesota Law Requiring Parental Consent for Under-16 Social Media

Tim Walz signed House File 4138, the Stop Harms From Addictive Social Media (SHASM) Act, into law on May 27, 2026, establishing some of the nation's strictest social media protections for minors. The bipartisan legislation requires social media platforms to obtain verifiable parental consent before children under 16 can create or maintain accounts on major services including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat. Child accounts must default to the highest privacy settings, and parents gain enhanced tools to monitor and restrict their children's usage.

The law prohibits platforms from using addictive design features such as infinite scrolling, autoplay video, and push notifications on child accounts. It also bans targeted paid commercial advertising directed at underage users. The Minnesota Attorney General is authorized to enforce the law and take legal action against platforms that fail to comply with account deletion requests.

The legislation takes effect in July 2027, giving platforms time to implement age-estimation and consent systems. NetChoice, a trade group representing companies including Meta and TikTok, urged Walz to veto the bill and declared the law constitutionally defective, arguing it violates First Amendment rights. The group signaled its intent to sue the state. Minnesota's action follows a broader national trend, though outcomes vary; Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers recently vetoed a similar age-verification bill over privacy concerns.