A bipartisan coalition of 45 state and territory attorneys general is urging Congress to pass federal legislation setting minimum safety standards for social media and gaming platforms. In a letter to congressional leaders, the coalition backed the Senate version of the Kids Online Safety Act (S. 1748) while insisting that any federal law must preserve states' authority to pass and enforce stronger local rules.
What Happened
Led by Connecticut, Hawaii, Ohio, and Tennessee, the 45 attorneys general called on Congress to pass S. 1748 to establish a national baseline for youth online protection. According to California Attorney General Rob Bonta's office, S. 1748 creates a federal floor that states can build upon, such as local measures targeting addictive algorithms. The coalition warned against preemption language in the U.S. House counterpart (H.R. 6484), arguing that federal rules should supplement rather than block state-level child safety laws.
In their November 2026 letter, the attorneys general pointed out that S. 1748 includes a "Duty of Care" provision covering all social media and gaming platforms. The officials cited their $17 billion multistate settlement with Meta, which mandated daily time limits, nighttime blocks between midnight and 6 a.m., limits on push notifications during school hours, restrictions on social comparison features, and stronger parental controls. They noted that a single corporate settlement cannot ensure consistent protections across the broader technology and gaming industry.
The Bigger Picture
The coalition's push comes as the House and Senate remain divided over how to regulate digital platforms used by minors, according to the Association of Educational Service Agencies (AESA). On June 29, 2026, the House passed an amended package called the KIDS Act (H.R. 7757), which incorporated parts of KOSA but omitted the "duty of care" requirement. In contrast, the Senate Commerce Committee advanced an amended version of S. 1748 on August 5, 2026, alongside companion bills including the CHATBOT Act (S. 4407) and the Youth AI Privacy Act (S. 4199).
Under the Senate version of KOSA, online platforms would have to mitigate harms to minors, strengthen youth data protections, and allow users to opt out of personalized recommendation algorithms. An analysis by REVERB found that the bill targets design features like infinite scroll and autoplay, while requiring default settings that stop strangers from contacting minors and limit location sharing. Public summaries differ on the covered age group: California's Attorney General states S. 1748's duty of care applies to children under 18, while REVERB describes KOSA as applying to users under 17.
For families and schools, the debate involves both student well-being and local governance. According to the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, 80% of parents worry about their children's privacy on mobile apps and 73% express concern over location tracking. Education groups like AESA argue that any federal safety standard must preserve state and local authority over student data privacy and classroom software. Because of policy splits between the House and Senate versions, AESA notes that the path to passing a final law remains uncertain.