UC Davis launches database tracking US youth social media laws

By March 2026 every U.S. state had introduced at least one bill aimed at regulating social‑media platforms for people under 18. Researchers at the University of California, Davis created the Youth Digital Policy Repository, a publicly accessible database that categorises state legislation by location, year and topic – including age‑verification requirements, parental‑consent rules and restrictions on targeted advertising. The repository currently contains 379 pieces of legislation dating back to 2022 and records each bill’s status – introduced, passed, failed or enacted. It is updated twice a year, in June and November, and the team plans to expand coverage globally. Project lead Samantha Vigil, a Ph.D. candidate, and associate professor Drew Cingel say the tool is intended to help policymakers, researchers and parents understand the evolving regulatory landscape and its implications for adolescent mental health. A 2025 Pew Research Center survey found that 48 % of American teens consider social media harmful and 44 % of parents view it as the leading threat to their child’s mental well‑being.