Tennessee Attorney General Leads Bipartisan Coalition Urging Congress to Pass Kids Online Safety Act

Tennessee Attorney General Leads Bipartisan Coalition Urging Congress to Pass Kids Online Safety Act

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti is leading a bipartisan coalition of 45 attorneys general urging Congress to pass the Senate version of the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), legislation aimed at strengthening online protections for children and teens.

Working alongside the attorneys general of Hawaii, Connecticut, and Ohio, Attorney General Skrmetti is calling on Congress to establish stronger nationwide protections for children online. In a letter to congressional leadership, the attorneys general expressed their continued support for Senate Bill 1748, which would establish minimum safety standards for social media and gaming platforms while preserving states' authority to enact and enforce laws protecting children from online harms. The bipartisan legislation has been championed by U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn and Richard Blumenthal, who have led the fight for stronger online protections for kids in Congress.

"The Meta settlement was an important step, but we need a lasting, nationwide standard that protects kids on every platform," said Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti. "Congress should pass the bipartisan Kids Online Safety Act and give parents, children, and state AGs the tools necessary to make the online world safer."

The renewed call for federal legislation follows the recently announced $17 billion multistate settlement with Meta, which requires the company to implement significant safeguards designed to protect users under age 18 on Facebook and Instagram. These include daily time limits, restrictions on nighttime use, stronger protections against bullying, limits on certain potentially harmful content, and enhanced parental controls.

In their letter, the attorneys general emphasized that the safeguards established through the Meta settlement, while significant, cannot provide consistent protections across the entire technology industry.

The attorneys general also highlighted the importance of KOSA's Duty of Care provision, which would establish a lasting standard for all social media and gaming platforms that extends beyond the term of the settlement. Unlike a settlement with an individual company, this legislation would adapt as technologies and platform features evolve, while preserving the states' ability to develop and enforce additional protections against emerging online harms.

Since 2021, state attorneys general have investigated major social media platforms over concerns about addictive design features and their impact on children's mental health. Those investigations led to lawsuits against Meta and other companies, as attorneys general sought to hold platforms accountable for practices that allegedly harmed young users.

Attorney General Skrmetti is leading the bipartisan effort alongside Hawaii Attorney General Anne Lopez, Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson, and Connecticut Attorney General William Tong, with support from attorneys general from Alabama, Alaska, American Samoa, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

A copy of the letter is available.