U.S. Senator Katie Britt Joins CNN’s State of the Union to Discuss Protecting Minors from the Growing Threat of Big Tech, AI

'How many parents … are going to have to come and tell us a devastating story before we actually pass legislation?'

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-Ala.) joined CNN's Jake Tapper on a special edition of State of the Union, which focused on the growing threat of Big Tech and artificial intelligence (AI).

On raising teenagers in the age of social media and AI:

"I often say I don't have to ask people what it's like to raise kids right now, I am living it. We have two teenagers … 15 and 16. And so when you come with that perspective, you know that there are parents out there that are looking for tools to help keep their children safe. Also, when you look at both social media and technology and how fast everything is moving, it's truly hard to keep up … So I think if we think about all of those things and what our kids are dealing with right now, it is imperative that we put up guardrails, especially when you're looking at AI."

On the harms of AI chatbots and the GUARD Act, legislation that would put guardrails around chatbots for minors:

"I have met with a number of parents who have told me devastating stories about their children, where chatbots ultimately … had isolated them from their parents, had talked to them about suicide, had talked to them about a number of things. And you think about this: If these AI companies can make the most brilliant machines in the world, they could do us all a service by putting up proper guardrails that did not allow for minors to utilize these things … And that's one thing that this legislation does."

On Big Tech and Congress's failure to deliver solutions and protect American families:

"I mean, truly enough is enough. I mean, I also want to say: How long is it going to take Congress to actually act? … We've been talking about this for years. How many parents like the one that we just heard from are going to have to come and tell us a devastating story before we actually pass legislation? The truth is (that) these AI companies can absolutely do much of this on their own. But we know consistently, time and time again, whether it's been social media companies or now some of the AI space that we consistently see people putting their profits over actual people …

"I want to elevate this topic for parents from coast to coast. [Congress is] not doing enough to put up guardrails. I mean, you and I did not grow up with front facing cameras … If these things were happening in a storefront on a main street in Alabama, we would shut that store down … So I am disappointed and will continue to push, because I think the time to act for Congress is now … People are over it, and we're over people going to DC and just dragging their feet and coming up with an excuse. Get in a room and let's figure out a pathway forward. That's certainly what I'm committed to doing."

Senator Britt has been a leader on reining in Big Tech and social media companies and a champion for children's safety online since she came to Congress. She has led a number of bipartisan pieces of legislation, including the Stop the Scroll Act and Kids Off Social Media Act, both of which would set critical guardrails on social media platforms and companies.

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