Georgia lawmakers push bipartisan plan to make social media, AI safer for children

ATLANTA – Georgia lawmakers say they are drafting legislation to make social media safer for children after a Senate committee spent months hearing from community members and experts. The proposals are expected to be taken up during the upcoming legislative session.

What we know:

Georgia lawmakers are joining states nationwide in pressing for tougher laws to hold social media companies accountable for children’s safety on their platforms and when those users interact with artificial intelligence.

The Senate Impact of Social Media and Artificial Intelligence on Children and Platform Privacy Protection Study Committee spent months hearing from parents and experts about how to make the internet safer for kids.

What they’re saying:

Democratic state Sen. Sally Harrell, who co-chairs the committee, said it adopted its final report Wednesday.

She said lawmakers are working on bipartisan bills to address growing concerns about how social media, gaming, AI and other online platforms are affecting Georgia children. The proposals include legislation to prevent companies from using addictive design features in social media and games, as well as requirements for developers to test chatbots to ensure they are safe for children to interact with.

“Congress should be acting,” Harrell said. “This should be a congressional issue. It should be dealt with nationally. But Congress isn’t doing anything. They haven’t done anything to help our kids be safe online for almost 30 years. And so the states really feel like we have to take leadership on this.”

What’s next:

Lawmakers stressed that this is a bipartisan effort and encouraged the public to work with them, noting they are already receiving pushback from some of the companies that own and operate major social media platforms.