Starting Thursday, technology companies must limit social media use among children under 16 in Virginia.
In Maryland, barbers and hairstylists must complete domestic violence awareness training, while in D.C., about 18,000 residents will lose their Medicaid coverage.
All are part a slate of new laws, or updates to existing laws, that go into effect on Jan. 1.
The Virginia social media law that passed last year will require platforms like Instagram and TikTok to limit use among minors under 16 to one hour a day in an effort to address concerns about the effects on youth mental health.
“We’re not banning anything here, but what we are doing is setting a new default,” said Sen. Schuyler T. VanValkenburg (D-Henrico), one of the sponsors of the bill.
The law is part of a growing effort to limit screen time and social media use, as lawmakers and advocates cite the effects of the platforms on teen mental health and focus in school. The change in Virginia comes on the heels of a similar law in Australia that went into effect on Dec. 10, banning social media for those under 16. Virginia has also already passed legislation restricting cellphone use in public schools.
The new law, signed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R), will require social media companies to use “commercially reasonable methods” to verify that users are over age 16. If they are not, platform use must be restricted to one hour a day. Parents will have the ability to increase or decrease the limit for their children.
Questions remain about how exactly the new law will be enforced and whether minors will actually abide by the limits. VanValkenburg said he believes that trying to change the status quo on how teens use these platforms is worth the effort.
“Are there going to be kids who lie about their age or use some other mechanism to get around it? Of course, there is,” VanValkenburg said. “But I think it’s really important to say that perfect shouldn’t be the enemy of good, and that by setting a new default, we are going to have a majority of young people who are at this one hour.”
Below are some of the other more noteworthy new laws in the Washington region.
In Virginia:
- Minimum wage increase: Virginia’s minimum wage, which is indexed to inflation, will increase to $12.77 an hour on Jan. 1 from the 2025 rate of $12.41.
- Removing heavy metals from baby food: As of Jan. 1, it is illegal to sell or distribute baby food products that contain certain toxic heavy metals beyond limits set by the federal Food and Drug Administration. Baby food manufacturers must meet testing requirements and post information about toxic heavy metals on their website and on product labels.
- Blocking text solicitation: Anyone who receives a solicitation via text message can block future messages from that sender by responding with “UNSUBSCRIBE” or “STOP.” The solicitor is required to honor that request for 10 years.
- Transparency of court fines and fees: Court clerks must supply an itemized statement of any fines or fees assessed against someone convicted of a traffic violation or criminal offense. The clerk must also supply an update about any outstanding balances to someone who submits a written request.
- Health insurance providers: Companies are prohibited from imposing cost-sharing on diagnostic breast examinations or follow-up breast examinations performed after Jan. 1. The law includes mammograms, magnetic resonance imaging and ultrasound tests.
- Higher unemployment benefits: Unemployment benefit claims effective on or after Jan. 1 will be $52 higher per week than current amounts as laid out in state unemployment compensation tables.
Local laws in Virginia go into effect when they are passed.
In Maryland:
- Domestic violence training for cosmetologists: Barbers, hairstylists and other cosmetologists must complete domestic violence awareness training to receive or renew a license. The training will be a requirement for applicants beginning Oct. 1.
- Free cancer screenings for firefighters: Counties must cover the cost of or provide preventive cancer screenings for firefighters. Under the new law, called the James “Jimmy” Malone Act, the state will also conduct a study on the cost of providing the screenings.
- Transparency on ride-share: Ride-share companies like Uber and Lyft must provide drivers with weekly fare and earnings summary, as well as share an annual report with the state.
- Pediatric emergencies: Health insurers will be prohibited from requiring prior authorization in pediatric emergencies. The law specifically prohibits requiring prior authorization in cases that involve transferring a patient to a special pediatric hospital.
- Coverage for calcium score testing: Health insurers will be required to provide coverage for calcium score testing and comply with the most recent guidelines by the American College of Cardiology to expand scope preventive care for heart disease.
- Protections for heirs: Homes that are occupied by “heirs” of deceased owners can be withheld from tax sale under a new law.
- Plastic bag ban in Montgomery County: A ban against plastic bags in Maryland’s largest county will go into effect on Jan. 1. The law prohibits plastic carryout bags in most areas of the County and requires a 10-cent fee for paper bags.
In the District:
Most D.C. laws tend to coincide with the fiscal year in October, but some changes are underway in January:
- Health care impacts: Starting Jan. 1, about 18,000 parents, caregivers or childless adults earning more than 138 percent of the federal poverty level will lose Medicaid coverage that had been provided under an expansion of the Affordable Care Act. They are eligible to transition onto a new basic health care plan on the city’s health benefit exchange, called Health DC Plan, and the city has already transitioned the majority of people losing Medicaid to this plan. But the plan has fewer benefits, not covering vision or dental care, and not everyone is eligible for it.
- Streateries here to stay: Streateries, the popular curbside outdoor restaurant spaces that proliferated during the pandemic, had been facing some regulatory challenges that restaurant owners said threatened their future. But the D.C. Council passed legislation this fall creating pathways for streateries to operate year-round, while lowering annual costs and fees that restaurant owners said made them too expensive to run. Still, starting in January, streateries will have to comply with new guidelines to remain licensed.
- Pay for child care workers: A city fund that boosts pay for credentialed early childhood educators was underfunded in the 2026 budget, leading the D.C. Council to vote this fall to reduce the minimum salaries for those workers. Pay cuts are expected to take effect Jan. 1. But on Christmas Eve, the chief financial officer certified that new revenue became available — about $1.5 million of which D.C. can use for the Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund, potentially mitigating those cuts. The details of how the money would be allocated were not immediately clear.
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