Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti has spearheaded an initiative with 31 other state attorneys general, urging Congress to pass the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA). The group sent a letter to Congressional leaders, emphasizing the need for legislation that addresses the mental health crisis among youth linked to social media usage. Research indicates minors spend over five hours online daily.
Attorney General Skrmetti stated, "As the chief legal officers of our states, we've seen firsthand how social media companies prioritize profits over our kids' safety." He further explained that while individual offices are investigating and pursuing lawsuits against platforms like Meta and TikTok, they support this bipartisan Senate effort. "KOSA provides additional tools to protect our children's mental health from the negative effects of social media."
The coalition outlined key components of KOSA aimed at improving online safety for minors. These include mandatory default safety settings on platforms, addiction prevention measures allowing users and parents to disable certain features, and parental empowerment through enhanced tools for identifying harmful behaviors.
This appeal for federal action follows numerous investigations and lawsuits by state attorneys general against major social media companies accused of targeting underage users.
States joining Tennessee in this appeal include Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana New Hampshire New Mexico New York North Dakota Oklahoma Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Utah Vermont Wyoming