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This week, Indiana Governor Mike Braun signed a groundbreaking bill into law that imposes new social media restrictions aimed at protecting children.
Commencing next year, children aged 15 and younger will be prohibited from using popular platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok unless they have obtained explicit consent from a parent or guardian.
To verify this consent, parents will be required to provide personal information, including a social security number or details from a driver’s license, to authenticate their identity with these social media sites.
“I am extremely proud of the outcome we have achieved,” said Katie Jenner, Secretary of the Indiana Department of Education. “Navigating the complexities of the social media legislation has been one of the most challenging tasks I’ve faced as Secretary of Education.”
At the 2025 Dentons Legislative Conference held last December, Secretary Jenner emphasized that implementing a social media ban for children was one of her top priorities for the 2026 legislative session.
“I’m really, really proud of where our state landed,” Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) Secretary Katie Jenner said. “The social media legislation was one of the most difficult to navigate that I’ve personally experienced as Secretary of Education.”
During the 2025 Dentons Legislative Conference last December, Secretary Jenner said passing some sort of social media ban affecting kids was one of her biggest priorities for the 2026 legislative session.
“I do believe the General Assembly will have to continue keeping their eye on that ball,” Jenner said.
That message was amplified by Gov. Braun last month following the death of Fishers’ teen Hailey Buzbee. At that time, Braun called for a full-on social media ban for all kids under 13 years of age.
“We did as much as we could with the time that we had, and I’m proud of what they got done, but this is just the start,” Braun said earlier this week.
Although the Indiana General Assembly ultimately decided not to enact a full-on ban, Indiana Senate President Pro Tem Rod Bray (R-Martinsville) has indicated lawmakers will revisit social media restrictions next session.
“While this is a first step for legislation, it’s not going to be the last time you see us work in this space,” Bray said moments after the Senate adjourned Sine Die last week. “We’ll continue to make that bill better.”
According to University of Indianapolis Political Science Professor Laura Wilson, any attempt to outright ban social media use among kids will most likely result in legal troubles.
“No doubt there’s going to be pushback,” Wilson said. “There are other states that have passed similar bans on social media and those have all gone through litigation…Anything that covers full social media is very vulnerable, and I think that’s part of why you see the legislation in the Indiana General Assembly had certain parameters.”
But Wilson added that even with those parameters, there are still some concerns over whether Indiana’s new law, as is, will survive a court challenge—something legislative leaders on both sides of the aisle have acknowledged could be a problem.
“I think court challenges are a possibility,” Bray said. “Social media isn’t particularly new, but legislation to try and rein it in is really in its infancy right now…Now at least we’ve got something on the books, we’ll continue to refine it, make it better as we go forward.”
Barring potential court challenges, the social media restrictions will take effect January 1, 2027.