In January 2026, Indiana families watched in heartbreak as 17-year-old Hailey Buzbee’s disappearance ended in tragedy. According to court records, she had been communicating online for more than a year with a 39-year-old man she allegedly met through online gaming.

Her story has forced our state to confront a difficult truth: the digital spaces our kids spend hours in every day are not always built with their safety in mind.

Indiana lawmakers are now considering legislation that would require parental consent for children under 16 to create social media accounts. The proposal would also require companies to use reasonable age-verification methods, limit direct messages from strangers, prevent behavior-based targeted advertising to minors, and give parents tools to monitor and set time limits.

This legislation recognizes that minors deserve guardrails in environments designed and monetized by adults.

Parents across Indiana—Republican, Democrat, and independent alike—understand that online grooming, coercion, and exploitation can begin with a simple message. While most online interactions are harmless, it only takes one dangerous connection to change a family forever. We cannot expect families to navigate this alone while platforms profit from engagement.

Technology has evolved faster than our protections. Now is the time to bring balance back—to empower parents, reduce predatory access to minors, and make sure companies take reasonable responsibility for young users on their platforms.

We call on the Indiana General Assembly to pass these social media safeguards this session and on Governor Mike Braun to sign them into law. 

Indiana can lead the way in modern, common-sense digital protections that respect families and prioritize child safety. Let’s act now—before another family has to ask why more wasn’t done.