Hawai‘i attorney general leads multistate effort to protect kids from online harm

Hawai‘i Attorney General Anne Lopez led a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general from around the country, with a letter urging Congressional leadership to protect children from online harm and pass the Kids Online Safety Act.

The letter, signed by 40 attorneys general, was circulated to House and Senate leadership in advance of potential consideration of the House version of the act, House of Representatives (H.R.) bill 6484, which contains expansive preemption language, according to a news release from the Department of the Attorney General.

The news release goes on to say that states have pioneered laws that promote online safety for minors and attorneys general “expressed concern in their letter that the provisions in H.R. 6484 could undermine existing and future state laws designed to protect children online — and would limit states’ ability to respond to and address new and emerging online harms.”

Letter on Kids Online Safety Act by Tiffany De Masters

“Hawaiʻi and other states have led the way in responding to evolving digital harms and holding online platforms accountable,” Lopez said. “We urge Congress to build on that work by passing a strong Kids Online Safety Act that requires social media companies to design their products with children’s safety in mind and empowers states to continue enforcing protections for our keiki.”

In the letter, the attorneys general expressed support for the Senate version of the act, Senate bill 1748, which includes a key Duty of Care requirement while enhancing and preserving states’ authority to enforce and strengthen online protection for minors.

This push for federal legislation comes as many state attorneys general offices have launched investigations and lawsuits against major social media platforms like Meta and TikTok for their targeting of underage users. The attorneys general emphasized the urgency of Congressional action, as scrutiny of social media companies intensifies and evidence mounts regarding the harmful impact of addictive design features on children and teens.

Lopez led the effort to send this letter to Congressional leadership alongside the attorneys general of American Samoa, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, 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, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, U.S. Virgin Islands and Wyoming.