Attorney General Mayes Joins Coalition Opposing KIDS Act, Supports Stronger Online Protections for Children

PHOENIX – Today, Attorney General Kris Mayes announced Arizona has joined a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general opposing the federal Kids Internet and Digital Safety Act (“KIDS Act”), H.R. 7757, arguing the bill would weaken states’ ability to protect children online while insulating Big Tech from accountability.

The coalition warned the KIDS Act would broadly preempt state laws addressing online harms to minors, including social media harms, obscenity, social gaming platforms, and artificial intelligence chatbots.

Attorney General Mayes emphasized that Congress should instead advance legislation that includes a meaningful duty of care requirement for online platforms.

“H.R. 7757 lets Big Tech off the hook and would hurt the ability of states like Arizona to protect children online,” said Attorney General Mayes. “The safety of our children is more important than maximizing profits for Big Tech companies and the billionaires who own them. Congress should reject the House version of this bill and demand more accountability from Big Tech companies, not less."

The coalition expressed support for the Senate version of the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), S. 1748, which includes a key Duty of Care provision requiring online platforms to act in the best interests of minors while preserving states’ authority to enforce stronger protections for children and teens.

The letter comes as attorneys general across the country continue investigations and litigation involving major social media platforms, including Meta and TikTok, over allegations that their platforms target and harm underage users.

"With dangerous products like AI chatbots gaining prominence, we have a duty to do more to protect our kids from companies that care only about maximizing engagement and profits," said Mayes. "The safety of our children online is not negotiable.”

AG Mayes joins the Attorneys General of Connecticut, Hawaii, Ohio, Tennessee, Alabama,  Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Northern Mariana Islands, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
 
The letter is being sent to Congressional leadership, including Senate Majority Leader John Thune, Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, House Speaker Mike Johnson, and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
 
A copy of the letter is available.