New York Attorney General Letitia James has joined a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general urging Congress to reject proposed federal legislation they say would weaken states’ ability to protect children online and shield major technology companies from accountability.
James and attorneys general from 44 other states and territories sent a letter to congressional leaders opposing the Kids Internet and Digital Safety Act, known as the KIDS Act, arguing the measure would override state laws addressing online harms involving social media, gaming platforms, and artificial intelligence chatbots.
“The KIDS Act would strip states of their ability to protect our children online,” James said in a statement Tuesday. “I am proud to join a bipartisan coalition of my fellow attorneys general in sending a clear message to Congress: the KIDS Act should not become law.”
The coalition instead urged lawmakers to support the Senate version of the Kids Online Safety Act, or KOSA, which attorneys general said would preserve stronger state-level protections while requiring online platforms to act in the best interests of minors.
James pointed to New York’s 2024 SAFE for Kids Act and Child Data Protection Act as examples of state laws that could be undermined by federal preemption under the proposed KIDS Act.
The attorneys general argued the legislation would limit states’ authority to regulate online obscenity, addictive social media features, gaming systems, and AI chatbot interactions involving minors. The letter also criticized what officials described as loopholes and weak enforcement mechanisms within the bill.
The coalition included attorneys general from both Democratic- and Republican-led states, including Alabama, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, and Wyoming alongside New York, California, Illinois, Massachusetts, and others.
James has increasingly focused on online child safety issues in recent years, including lawsuits against TikTok and Meta, as well as a February lawsuit targeting video game developer Valve over allegations tied to gambling systems accessible to minors.
The attorneys general said states should retain flexibility to respond quickly to evolving technology and online safety threats affecting children and teenagers.
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