HARRISBURG – Attorney General Sunday announced today Pennsylvania has joined a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general opposing the federal Kids Internet and Digital Safety Act (“KIDS Act”), H.R. 7757, arguing the bill would weaken states’ ability to protect children online while insulating Big Tech from accountability.
The coalition warned the KIDS Act would broadly preempt state laws addressing online harms to minors, including social media harms, obscenity, social gaming platforms, and artificial intelligence chatbots.
Attorney General Sunday emphasized that Congress should instead advance legislation that includes a meaningful duty of care requirement for online platforms.
“Through ongoing discussions with students, parents, and educators, my office has heard directly about the growing challenges children face online,” Attorney General Sunday said. “As part of my initiative to keep our kids safe, I joined my fellow attorneys general in opposing legislation that would weaken states’ ability to protect children online. At the same time, bad actors are increasingly using artificial intelligence and digital platforms to exploit and harm minors in new ways. My office will continue holding those individuals and companies accountable while working every day to protect the next generation of Pennsylvanians.”
The coalition expressed support for the Senate version of the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), S. 1748, which includes a key 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.
The letter comes as attorneys general across the country continue investigations and litigation involving major social media platforms, including Meta and TikTok, over allegations that their platforms target and harm underage users.
Just last week, Attorney General Sunday released his teenTALK report on the mental health impacts of social media which included recommendations for action directed towards students, parents, schools, lawmakers and social media companies.
To watch Attorney General Sunday discuss this issue, click here.
Pennsylvania joins the Attorneys General of Connecticut, Hawaii, and Ohio, and Tennessee, American Samoa, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Wyoming.
The letter is being sent to Congressional leadership, including Senate Majority Leader John Thune, Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, House Speaker Mike Johnson, and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
Read the letter HERE.
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