[co-author: James O'Reilly]*
Minnesota has a new law that, beginning a year from now, will require that social media companies warn users of the potential negative mental health effects of social media use each time a user accesses a social media platform. The warning label will need to include specific content, including information about mental health resources (like the national suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline). The law also specifically prohibits including “extraneous information” in the warning label. It must be on-screen (not in a company’s website terms) and remain on screen until the user either acknowledges and agrees to it, or leaves the site.
Unless challenged, the law will take effect on July 1, 2026. Prior to going into effect, the commissioner of health is tasked under the law with creating guidelines by March 1, 2026.
*James O’Reilly is a Cybersecurity and Privacy Fellow in the firm’s Chicago office.
Putting it Into Practice: While we anticipate that these social media label requirements will be challenged prior to the 2026 effective dates, they demonstrate ongoing concern from US state law makers over the impact of social media use.
