AGs urge Congress to pass online safety act to protect kids

CONCORD - New Hampshire Attorney General John M. Formella has joined a a bipartisan coalition of 31 of fellow state attorneys general in calling on Congress to pass the bipartisan Kids Online Safety Act, which they says protects children from online harm, and they want it done before the end of the year.

"The mental health challenges, bullying, and harmful content linked to social media have reached a crisis point, and it's time for Congress to take action" said Formella. "The Kids Online Safety Act provides a crucial framework to ensure social media platforms put the safety of children first. By strengthening safety features, giving parents more control, and addressing harmful design practices that foster addiction, we can begin to reverse the damage affecting America's youth. I am proud to join my colleagues from across the country in urging Congress to pass this important and bipartisan legislation without delay."

In a letter, the coalition emphasized the urgent need to address the growing crisis of youth mental health linked to social media use, with studies showing minors spend more than five hours daily online.

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

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.