Attorney General Jay Jones Takes Steps to Keep Virginia’s Children Safe from Predatory Social Media Companies

Attorney General Jay Jones Takes Steps to Keep Virginia’s Children Safe from Predatory Social Media Companies

Action Follows Motion to Dismiss Lawsuit That Would Block Virginia’s Strong Social Media Law Limiting Use by Minors

Richmond, Va – Attorney General Jay Jones announces today that his office intends to fully enforce new provisions of the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act, which require social media platforms to limit minors’ usage to one hour per day unless a parent opts to increase that limit. This announcement follows the office’s filing a motion to dismiss a lawsuit brought by NetChoice, a trade association for social media companies, which attempts to block Virginia’s law and allow their member companies to continue preying on minor users through unlimited access to addictive feeds.

Effective on January 1, 2026, Virginia law requires social media platforms to use “commercially reasonable methods, such as a neutral age screen mechanism, to determine whether a user is a minor younger than 16” and “to limit a minor’s use of social media platform to one hour per day, per service or application.” Verifiable parental consent is required to increase or decrease the daily time limit.

The Attorney General’s office will communicate evidence of non-compliance directly to companies and provide 30 days to remedy the violation as required by law. If they continue to violate the law, the Attorney General will file enforcement actions, which could result in up to $7,500 in civil penalties for each violation, as well as injunctive relief to stop violating social media platforms from continuing the conduct in violation of the law.

“As a father, there is nothing more important to me than the emotional, mental, and physical safety of our children. Today’s announcement ensures that parents and caregivers have the final say in how much social media content their children consume, not the unscrupulous tech companies,” Attorney General Jones said. “By enforcing our consumer protection laws, Virginia can and will take meaningful steps to protect our children and hold bad actors accountable.”

Excessive use of social media for minors has been shown to fuel feelings of anxiety, depression, and isolation. Prolonged, passive screen time, including social media feeds, for children under 16 has been tied to inadequate or insufficient sleep, disordered eating, delays in social skills development, reduced attention span, and negative academic performance outcomes.

Families are encouraged to report violations to the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Section by filing a complaint. In addition, families can call the Consumer Protection Hotline at 1-800-552-9963 if calling from Virginia, or (804) 786-2042 if calling from the Richmond area or from outside Virginia.

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