WASHINGTON, DC – The Kids Code Coalition today released a new report, NetChoice’s Losing Battle Against Kids’ Online Safety Bills: Litigation, Lobbying & the Path Forward, exposing how NetChoice, a lobbying front group for Big Tech companies including Meta, Google, Amazon, and Snap, is using self-serving litigation, deceptive lobbying, and misleading public statements to block state laws designed to protect children online. NetChoice is part of a network of Big Tech-funded organizations doing Big Tech’s bidding across the country, including by launching a $30-million legal “war room” against kids’ online safety legislation.
“The winds of public opinion have shifted sharply against Big Tech’s favorite attack dog, NetChoice, and now they’re facing a harder battle in court. State lawmakers across the country should forge ahead with carefully-tailored legislation including age-appropriate design codes that can and will work to protect kids online,” said Thomas Jones, a lawyer who works with the Coalition.
Since the 2024 enactment of the Maryland Kids Code, an increasing number of state leaders are spearheading similar legislation, seizing the opportunity to make a real difference for kids with a design-centered approach to addressing the ongoing, social-media-linked youth mental health crisis.
“The reality is that Big Tech is spending billions to fight even the most common-sense online safety measures,” added Jones. “This report makes it clear: Policymakers should not be swayed by Big Tech’s fearmongering. Both legal precedent and the public interest support this design-centered approach to protecting kids online.”
The report outlines key legal concepts and developments including the weakening of NetChoice’s preferred legal approach due to the Supreme Court’s Moody decision; recent court decisions that have rejected NetChoice’s legal arguments; and 2025 revisions to state age-appropriate design codes to make them even more legally resilient.
Last month, the Kids Code Coalition called out Big Tech’s destructive decision to file a lawsuit seeking to block the Maryland Kids Code. Last year, the coalition drew attention to the Big Tech lobby’s interference in child online safety efforts across the country throughout 2024 state legislative sessions.
The Kids Code Coalition is a wide-ranging group of national and state organizations dedicated to improving youth online security and privacy by supporting policies that ensure companies prioritize kids’ and teens’ safety and developmental needs when designing digital platforms and products.
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