United States of America: Age-Appropriate Online Design Code Act (LB 504) was signed by Governor

On 2 June 2025, Nebraska Governor signed the Age-Appropriate Online Design Code Act (LB 504) into law. The Act defines terms such as “covered online service,” “covered minor,” and “covered design features,” and imposes design requirements on covered online services reasonably likely to be accessed by individuals under 18. Covered services are required to implement default high-protection settings, minimise data collection and retention, prohibit profiling and targeted advertising for covered minors, and restrict the use of dark patterns and advertisements for prohibited products. Push alerts and notifications are prohibited during school hours and overnight in the minor’s local time zone. The Act mandates accessible parental control tools, enabled by default for users known to be under 13, and requires obvious signals when parental monitoring or geolocation tracking is active. Covered online services must also establish mechanisms to report harms. Violations constitute deceptive trade practices, with civil penalties of up to USD 50’000 per violation enforceable from 1 July 2026. Each covered service must designate compliance officers. The Act enters into force on 1 January 2026 and includes severability provisions to preserve the remaining sections if any part is held invalid.