Maryland Attorney General joins coalition in calling for Congress to pass protections for kids online

BALTIMORE -- Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown joined a coalition of 32 attorneys general to call for Congress to pass the bipartisan Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) before the end of the year.

In a letter sent on November 18, the coalition highlighted the urgent need to address the growing youth mental health crisis linked to social media use. According to the letter, studies show minors spend more than five hours a day online.

The letter further urges Congress to maintain parts of KOSA that guarantee it would not preempt state laws that provide stronger protection.

Passing KOSA would establish baseline protections for all American children while still allowing Maryland to put stronger safeguards in place.

The proposed legislation was reintroduced in 2023 as the mental health crisis among young people continued to escalate.

The coalition said the following provisions of KOSA would enhance online protections for kids:

• Require platforms to automatically enable strong safety protections for minors and not bury them behind "opt-in" screens
• Allow users and their parents to disable design features and algorithmic recommendations designed to keep children endlessly scrolling
• Provide parents with new tools to identify harmful behavior and improve capabilities to report dangerous content

"Protecting children from the dangers of social media overload must be easier for parents and guardians to access, understand and use," said Attorney General Brown. "The risk of children becoming addicted to their phones or tablets is very real, and it's crucial that we provide caregivers with the tools they need to effectively protect their children."

The push for federal regulations comes after several state attorneys general offices launched investigations and lawsuits against social media platforms for targeting minors.

Attorney General Brown's October 2023 lawsuit accused Meta of violating the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).

The coalition includes attorneys general from 30 other states and the District of Columbia.