Members of the Senate Study Committee on the Impact of Social Media and Artificial Intelligence on Children and Platform Privacy Protection filed two bills this week aimed at mitigating harms to children online.
The bills stem from the committee’s final recommendations to reduce online risks, ensure that technology companies are accountable for the safety of young users, provide stronger privacy protections for children, and help alleviate the burden of keeping children safe online.
SB 495
First, Committee Co-Chair Senator Sally Harrell (D–Atlanta) filed Senate Bill (SB) 495 to limit harmful design features and excessive data collection. It also requires strong default privacy settings and secures minors' and parents' control over personal data.
It then requires companies to assess the risks posed by compulsive-use features and to increase transparency about how algorithms affect young users.
In a recent comment on this issue, Sen. Harrell discussed how parents are doing everything they can to protect their children, yet they still come up short. However, this bill will require social media companies to share in the responsibility and establish some accountability.
“This bill gets at the crux of the problem by focusing on platform design and data practices rather than speech, so it protects kids without infringing on First Amendment rights,” Sen. Harrell added. “It helps shift some of the responsibility back to the companies that build these products, instead of leaving parents to carry the entire burden on their own.”
SB 488
Second, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Science and Technology, Senator Ed Setzler (R–Acworth), filed SB 488 as a companion bill.
It clarifies that generative AI systems are products under Georgia law, allowing children harmed by these systems to pursue commonsense claims against manufacturers or sellers.
When commenting on this issue, Sen. Setzler clarified that this bill is meant to establish responsibility, not stifle innovation. He then discussed the need to confront the advancement of artificial intelligence and protect consumers at the same time.
“Artificial intelligence is advancing rapidly and bringing enormous opportunities, but when products cause harm, there must be basic accountability,” Sen. Setzler continued. “By applying existing product-liability principles to generative AI, we can protect consumers while still allowing innovators to develop and deploy new technologies.”
