Indiana

Limited Action

Indiana at a glance

Indiana mandates bell-to-bell phone-free schools, ensuring their students can learn and connect with each other without distractions.
Indiana's attorney general is actively holding tech companies accountable.
Indiana has not enacted any significant social media age restrictions.
Indiana does not yet have a reasonable childhood independence law.
Indiana has not yet passed any major laws that regulate harmful tech or hold companies liable.

Areas of Opportunity

Passing a reasonable childhood independence law will protect Indiana's families from unfair charges of neglect.
Setting a social media age minimum of 16 with no parental consent loophole will solve the collective action problem for Indiana families.
Enacting laws that address harmful social media design and AI safety will protect Indiana's kids from manipulative technology.
Creating legal pathways for parents to sue tech companies for harms to minors will hold them accountable and incentivize safer product design.

These opportunities are within reach for your home state. Download our policy menu, reach out to us, and reclaim childhood in Indiana.

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Dive Deeper

Childhood Development Policies

Is the state adopting policies that support a healthier real-world childhood?

Distraction-Free Schools
Indiana mandates bell-to-bell phone-free schools, though it does not require inaccessible storage. View the state’s Phone-Free Schools Report Card.
Note: They strengthened their law to require a bell-to-bell ban after the release of the Phone-Free Schools Report Card.
Childhood Independence
Indiana does not yet have a reasonable childhood independence law, leaving too much discretion to the authorities and putting parents at risk of unfair neglect charges.

Political Leadership

Is the governor championing kids' safety, and is the Office of the Attorney General using its power to hold big tech accountable?

Attorney General Leadership
Indiana’s Attorney General has been active on tech accountability, joining the multistate lawsuit against Meta and calling for action on kids’ online safety by signing the AI Child Safety Letter, AI Local Authority Letter, and Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) Letter.

Tech Policies

What is the state doing to address harmful tech and hold companies accountable?

Social Media Age Limits
Indiana has not enacted any significant social media age restrictions.
Regulating Harmful Design
Indiana has not yet enacted any significant laws in this area.
Holding Tech Companies Accountable
Indiana has not yet enacted any significant laws in this area.
Incentivizing Safer Tech
Indiana has not yet enacted any significant laws in this area.

Family Perceptions

What do parents in the state say about their children's tech use, opportunities for independence, and real-life interactions?

IFS Resilient Childhood Score
Medium. Indiana parents report that their kids experience:
- Moderate levels of independent, unsupervised activity
- Moderate time spent playing outside and socializing with friends
- Moderate screen time and tech use

This page was last updated on March 4, 2026. The Childhood Index highlights key policies and actions and is not intended to be a comprehensive list. If there’s something you think we missed or should consider, we welcome your feedback.