Nebraska to adopt law aimed at curbing kids’ time online
- Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen has signed a bill aimed at curbing kids’ time online, known as the Age-Appropriate Online Design Code Act (LB504).
- The law requires major social platforms to let users choose between a chronological feed and one provided by an algorithm, which experts believe can negatively affect children’s mental health and development.
- The law also places limitations on user tracking, requiring platforms to apply strict privacy settings to users identified as minors by default, including blocking targeted advertising and limiting the use of dark patterns.
- Nebraska’s design code law is similar to laws passed in California and Maryland, but NetChoice, a technology trade group, is fighting these laws in court over claims they violate the First Amendment.
- The law goes into effect on January 1st, 2026, with companies that violate it facing up to $50,000 fines for each violation starting July 1st, 2026.
Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen has signed a bill that cracks down on social platforms’ features that could keep kids online for longer. Under the Age-Appropriate Online Design Code Act (LB504), major platforms must let users choose to see a chronological feed, rather than one provided by a recommendation algorithm, which experts have found could negatively affect children’s mental health and development.
In addition to pausing potentially disruptive notifications at nighttime and during school days, platforms must offer users the option to voluntarily limit how much time they spend on the services. Online services are required to let users limit certain categories of content from getting recommended, too.
The law also places several limitations on user tracking and requires platforms to apply strict privacy settings to users identified as minors by default. These settings allow platforms to only collect the “minimum” amount of data from young users, block targeted advertising, and limit the use of dark patterns.
Though California and Maryland have passed similar laws, NetChoice is fighting them in court over claims they violate the First Amendment. NetChoice is a technology trade group that includes Meta, Google, Amazon, Reddit, X, Snap, and other tech giants. In February, NetChoice sued Maryland to block its Age-Appropriate Design Code Act, while a judge sided with NetChoice in a ruling that blocked California’s version of the rule in March.
Amy Bos, NetChoice’s director of state and federal affairs, wrote in a letter to Governor Pillen that Nebraska’s design code law could impose age verification requirements “on most websites available to Nebraska users, including news sites, popular blogs, and certain online retailers,” potentially posing a security risk. Bos also argues that tracking requirements conflict with existing requirements under the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). NetChoice similarly believes that Nebraska’s design code law violates the First Amendment, though this particular bill doesn’t include limits on the types of content children can access.
States that have more recently introduced design code laws have overhauled the legislation in an attempt to harden it against potential lawsuits from such trade groups and companies. Nebraska’s design code law goes into effect on January 1st, 2026. Companies that violate the law could face an up to $50,000 fine for each violation starting July 1st, 2026.