The "Stop Harms from Addictive Social Media Act" introduces a new chapter to Title 48 of the Idaho Code, focusing on the protection of children from the dangers associated with addictive social media platforms. The bill defines essential terms such as "child," "covered social media platform," and "addictive interface features," and establishes requirements for age estimation and identification of child users. It mandates that social media platforms obtain verifiable parental consent before creating or maintaining accounts for children, set privacy settings to the most private levels by default, and avoid presenting addictive features or profile-based paid advertisements to child users. The legislation also outlines enforcement mechanisms, allowing children or their parents to pursue legal action for damages due to violations, and invalidates any contracts related to accounts opened without parental consent.

Additionally, the bill introduces provisions regarding the liability of social media platforms, allowing for punitive damages in cases of consistent reckless or knowing violations. It specifies that platforms will not be held liable if they have made reasonable efforts to comply with the chapter's requirements and establishes a three-year statute of limitations for civil actions related to violations. The act clarifies that it does not limit the content parents can show their children or the search results returned by online engines, and any waiver of rights established by this chapter is deemed unlawful and void. A severability clause is included to ensure that if any part of the act is found unconstitutional, the remaining provisions will still be effective. The act is set to take effect on July 1, 2026, following an emergency declaration.