Attorney General Chris Carr has called on Congress to pass the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) before the year ends. Carr emphasized the importance of protecting children from harmful online content, stating, "Protecting our children from dangerous online content remains a top priority for our office and a major concern for Georgia families." He expressed support for measures that empower parents and enhance online safety for children.
Carr, along with 31 other attorneys general, sent a letter to Congressional leaders highlighting the urgent need to address youth mental health issues linked to increased social media use. The letter outlines key provisions of KOSA aimed at strengthening online protections for minors.
The proposed legislation includes mandatory default safety settings requiring platforms to automatically enable their strongest safety features for minors. It also addresses addiction prevention by allowing young users and their parents to disable manipulative design features and algorithmic recommendations that encourage prolonged scrolling. Additionally, it seeks to provide parents with tools to identify harmful behaviors and report dangerous content more effectively.
Attorneys general from states including Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, 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, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont and Wyoming joined Carr in sending this letter.