FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
INQUIRIES: media@naag.org
Washington, D.C. – February 10, 2026 — Today the National Association of Attorneys General sent a letter on behalf of a bipartisan coalition of 40 state and territorial attorneys general to congressional leadership urging support for the Senate version of the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), S. 1748, and opposing passage of the House companion bill, H.R. 6484.
In the letter, the attorneys general, as the chief legal officers of their states and territories, emphasized the serious and growing risks that social media platforms pose to minors and the need for federal legislation that meaningfully strengthens online protections for children.
The coalition detailed concerns that many social media platforms deliberately target minors and employ product designs that are intentionally addictive for underage users. According to the attorneys general, these platforms generate substantial profits by monetizing minors’ personal data through targeted advertising while failing to adequately disclose the addictive nature of their products or the well-documented harms associated with excessive social media use.
The letter notes that increasing evidence shows companies are aware of the adverse mental health consequences imposed on underage users but have continued these practices. As a result, several attorney general offices have initiated investigations and filed lawsuits against Meta and TikTok related to alleged harm to minors.
The attorneys general reaffirmed their strong support for S. 1748, citing its broad bipartisan sponsorship and its inclusion of key provisions addressing federal preemption and a clear Duty of Care for online platforms.
By contrast, the coalition stated that it cannot support H.R. 6484, citing expansive preemption language that would limit states’ ability to respond to emerging online harms. The attorneys general emphasized that states have led efforts to protect children online and warned that the House bill would undermine that authority.
The letter also highlights the omission of a Duty of Care in the House bill. Instead, H.R. 6484 relies on company-maintained “reasonable policies, practices, and procedures” addressing a limited set of harms. The attorneys general cautioned that similar self-regulatory approaches have not adequately protected minors to date.
The coalition urged the House of Representatives to align with the Senate’s approach by preserving states’ authority to enact stronger protections for minors, establishing a Duty of Care, and expanding the enumerated harms to include suicide, eating disorders, compulsive use, other mental health harms, and financial harms. The attorneys general stated that these provisions are necessary to create a safer online environment for children and adolescents.
The letter was sponsored by the Attorneys General of Connecticut, Hawaii, Ohio, and Tennessee and joined by American Samoa, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, 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, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Wyoming.
A copy of the letter is available here.
###
The National Association of Attorneys General is a nonpartisan organization of the attorneys general of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories. NAAG provides a forum for exchanging knowledge, experiences, and insights on legal and law enforcement issues, and fosters bipartisan collaboration among its members to address common challenges and advance the rule of law. For more information, please visit NAAG’s website.
