Governor Tim Walz signed House File 4138 on Tuesday, turning Minnesota into the latest state to demand that social media platforms profile every user who logs on.
The law, which takes effect in July 2027, forces platforms with at least 10,000 account holders or $1 billion in annual revenue to estimate the age of all Minnesota users, obtain parental consent before anyone under 16 can hold an account, and disable a list of features the legislature has labeled “addictive.” It passed the state House 132-2 and the Senate 66-0.
In this instance, Fuck Walz. He doesn’t understand this instance of technology.
Disappointing, but unfortunately not unexpected either. Minnesota already is one of the states that age-gates porn sites.
It is disappointing, especially considering that just 11 months ago it was a far right Christian nationalist who assassinated and attempted to assassinate Minnesota legislators and their families. How about all the violence perpetrated by masked feds? Laws like these create yet another dataset for someone to abuse. Maybe Walz should be looking elsewhere.
All that said, unless I misunderstand your meaning, Minnesota does not have any age verification laws currently in place for porn. Last I read the most recent bill is currently dead, but unfortunately we all know that is temporary.