Memphis Standard

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti, along with 31 other state attorneys general, has urged Congress to pass the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA). The bipartisan legislation was introduced by U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn and Richard Blumenthal. It aims to protect children from online harm and address the mental health crisis linked to social media usage among minors.

Senator Blackburn emphasized the widespread support for KOSA, stating, "86% of U.S. voters support KOSA, and this letter led by Attorney General Skrmetti and signed by 31 state attorneys general reinforces the broad bipartisan support for this legislation across the United States." She praised Skrmetti's leadership in protecting children from exploitation by tech companies.

Attorney General Skrmetti highlighted the role of social media companies in prioritizing profits over children's safety. He said, "While our offices individually pursue investigations and lawsuits against platforms like Meta and TikTok, we are glad to support the Senate's bipartisan effort to empower our federal enforcement partners."

The coalition's letter outlines key provisions of KOSA that would enhance online protections for minors. These include mandatory default safety settings on platforms, addiction prevention measures allowing users to disable manipulative features, and parental empowerment tools.

This initiative follows ongoing investigations and lawsuits against major social media platforms like Meta and TikTok for targeting underage users.

States joining Tennessee in this appeal include Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, 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 District Columbia