Attorneys general call on Congress to pass Kids Online Safety Act

Attorney General Chris Carr in October 2023. (Photo by Todd DeFeo/The DeFeo Groupe)

ATLANTA – Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr is urging Congress to pass the Kids Online Safety Act before the end of the year.

In a letter sent to congressional leaders, Carr and 31 other attorneys general outlined the urgent need to address the growing crisis of youth mental health linked to increased social media use.

The attorneys general also highlighted several key provisions of KOSA that would enhance online protections for minors, including:

  • Mandatory default safety settings: Requiring platforms to automatically enable their strongest safety protections for minors rather than burying these features behind opt-in screens.
  • Addiction prevention: Allowing young users and their parents to disable manipulative design features and algorithmic recommendations that keep children endlessly scrolling.
  • Parental empowerment: Providing parents with new tools to identify harmful behaviors and improved capabilities to report dangerous content.

The attorneys general of Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, and Wyoming joined Carr in sending the letter.