BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — SAVE applauds Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and a bipartisan coalition of 45 attorneys general urging Congress to pass the Senate version of the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA S.1748). The Minnesota-based national suicide prevention nonprofit is calling on congressional leaders to act before the next Congress is sworn in.
The coalition’s appeal calls for enforceable nationwide protections for children online while preserving states’ ability to enact and enforce stronger safeguards. Minnesota is among the jurisdictions joining the effort, led by the attorneys general of Hawaii, Ohio, Tennessee and Connecticut.
“Attorney General Ellison and his colleagues across the country are sending Congress a clear, bipartisan message: Protecting children online cannot wait,” said SAVE CEO Erich Mische. “We thank Attorney General Ellison for standing up for Minnesota’s children and families, and all 45 attorneys general for demanding meaningful protections. Congress should meet that commitment with action.”
The Senate legislation includes a duty of care requiring covered platforms to take steps to prevent and mitigate harms to minors. The attorneys general emphasize that strong federal standards must also preserve states’ authority to respond to emerging threats and provide additional protections.
“Big Tech has fought efforts to require stronger protections for children. Voluntary ‘safety ratings’ are no substitute for a legal obligation to design safer products,” Mische said. “Companies cannot market their way out of responsibility for products that put children’s lives at risk. We need strong laws and enforceable regulations, not public relations gimmicks and marketing ploys. We applaud Attorney General Ellison and his colleagues for demanding that Congress hold these companies accountable.”
SAVE supports passage of a strong Senate Kids Online Safety Act that includes meaningful safeguards, enforceable accountability and continued authority for states to protect children.
“No single factor explains a suicide. That complexity does not excuse technology companies from addressing foreseeable harm or lawmakers from acting,” Mische said.
“Children’s safety must come before corporate profits, and protecting them must be a responsibility both parties share.”
SAVE urged Minnesota’s congressional delegation and congressional leaders of both parties to make passage a priority during the remaining weeks of the current Congress.
“The election is over. The current Congress still has the authority and the time to act,” Mische said. “Lawmakers do not need to wait for a new Congress to be sworn in. They should bring a strong Senate Kids Online Safety Act to a vote and send it to the president before this Congress ends. Families have waited long enough.”
About SAVE
SAVE is a Minnesota-based national nonprofit working to prevent suicide through education, advocacy, lethal means safety efforts and support for suicide loss survivors. Learn more at save.org.
MEDIA CONTACT
Heidi Raschke | Director of Communications & Public Relations, SAVE | hraschke@save.org | 651-239-0490