Attorney General Chris Carr recently joined a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general in support of the U.S. Senate’s version of the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), also known as S. 1748.
This key legislation includes a Duty of Care provision requiring online platforms to act in the best interests of minors while preserving states’ authority to enforce stronger protections for children and teens.
AG Carr discussed how attorneys general from across the country have had to confront the dangers of internet platforms and would greatly benefit from federal input. He then committed to supporting any measure, such as the Kids Online Safety Act, that bolsters online protections.
“For years, state attorneys general have been on the frontlines fighting to protect our kids from online dangers and addictive social media platforms,” said AG Carr. “We should be working with our federal partners to strengthen those efforts – not passing legislation that shields Big Tech from accountability.”
He continued, “Our top priority is protecting Georgia’s children, and we will continue to support commonsense measures that do just that.”
The Letter
In the letter sent to Congressional leaders, the AG coalition also warns against passing the House’s version of the Kids Internet and Digital Safety Act (KIDS Act), also known as H.R. 7757.
They argue that this bill would weaken states’ ability to protect children online while insulating Big Tech from accountability.
It would do this by preempting state laws addressing online harms to minors, including social media harms, obscenity, social gaming platforms, and artificial intelligence chatbots
This letter also follows recent action from attorneys general across the country to investigate and address allegations that some social media platforms target and harm underage users.
For example, AG Carr launched his own investigation earlier this year into the gaming platform known as Roblox. The investigation concerned whether the company violated state consumer protection laws and put children at risk.
The attorneys general of Tennessee, Connecticut, Hawaii, and Ohio took the lead on this effort. In total, 39 states offered their support.
