Open Instagram in Louisville and you’ll see roughly what you’d see in Las Cruces. The legal ground under your thumb is another story.
Across the country, states are writing their own social media rules, on everything from privacy and targeted advertising to biometric data and who gets to log on at all.
A new ranking from Interconnections Media measured the gap, scoring 48 states on the toughest combined mix of restrictions and online protections. Kentucky came out on top with 94 out of 100, edging Tennessee (92.5) and Nebraska (89.5).
Kentucky’s lead rests on breadth rather than a single sweeping law. Its social media policy is classified as an outright ban, though one that is still only under discussion, so it hasn’t taken effect. The state also has biometric privacy protections, a targeted-advertising opt-out, statewide restrictions on phones in schools, and enforceable online privacy protections for minors.
Tennessee took a different route to nearly the same place. Its parental-consent requirements for access are already enacted, and it scores in every other policy category the study tracks. Nebraska’s parental-consent measure has passed, which is what lifts it to third.
Below them, Indiana and Rhode Island tie for fourth at 86.5. California follows at 83.5, then Florida at 82.5. Texas and Utah tie at 80.5, and Oregon closes out the top ten at 79.
The Top Ten
- Kentucky — 94.0
- Tennessee — 92.5
- Nebraska — 89.5
- Indiana — 86.5 (tie)
- Rhode Island — 86.5 (tie)
- California — 83.5
- Florida — 82.5
- Texas — 80.5 (tie)
- Utah — 80.5 (tie)
- Oregon — 79.0
At the bottom, New Mexico scores a flat zero. Washington sits 47th with 10 points, and Kansas and North Dakota tie near the bottom at 15.
Abhinav Singh, a spokesperson for Interconnections Media, says the spread shows how fractured the rulebook has become. “The platforms may be national, but the regulatory environment increasingly isn’t,” he said. “Privacy rules, targeted advertising protections, biometric laws and access restrictions can all change depending on which side of a state line you’re on.”
One caveat: a high rank doesn’t mean a state’s residents are safer online. The index counts the number, breadth and status of a state’s rules. It doesn’t measure how much people use social media, or whether the rules work.
Still, the map is revealing. In the absence of one national standard, the country has become a patchwork, and whether your data is protected, your ads are targeted or your kid can sign up may come down to the state you happen to live in.
