This morning, advocates across the country are celebrating a hard-fought win for kids’ online safety in Vermont, where the Kids Code bill that was stymied by Big Tech lobbying last year has now prevailed. Yesterday Gov. Phil Scott heeded public demand and signed S.69, the Vermont Age-Appropriate Design Code, into law. The legislation includes a private right of action that will allow Vermont families to enforce their rights in court.
Momentum for design-based online safety legislation that puts an onus of responsibility on Big Tech platforms to provide safer and healthier online experiences for kids and teens continues to build across the country as Vermont now joins California, Maryland, and Nebraska in passing its own version of the Kids Code.
Design It For Us Applauds Signing of the Vermont Age-Appropriate Design Code into Law
“We applaud the Vermont General Assembly for working to protect young people from online harms, and we’re thrilled to see the Governor sign the Vermont Age-Appropriate Design Code into law. We thank Rep. Monique Priestley and the bill’s sponsors for their tireless leadership, work, and partnership in making this bill become law. We are proud of the young Vermonters who told their stories and took on Big Tech, most especially Kaitlynn Cherry and Jonathan Pickarski, who led the way for young Vermonters across the state, testifying and rallying, to help this bill become law,” said Design It For Us Co-chair Zamaan Qureshi. “
EPIC Applauds Vermont Governor Phil Scott for Signing Age-Appropriate Design Code into Law
“For too long, Big Tech has exploited the presence of children on their platforms to turn a profit while ignoring the privacy and safety risks their design choices cause kids,” said Megan Iorio, Senior Counsel at EPIC and director of EPIC’s program on Platform Governance and Accountability. “The Vermont Age-Appropriate Design Code effectively mitigates these privacy and safety risks and does so in a way that Big Tech’s lawyers won’t be able to easily overturn in court.”
The Tech Oversight Project Applauds As Vermont Kids Code Becomes Law
“Just last year, Governor Phil Scott vetoed the Vermont Kids Code. This year, he signed it into law – proof that calls for accountability for Big Tech on kids’ safety have become too powerful to ignore,” said Sacha Haworth, Executive Director of The Tech Oversight Project. “This win didn’t happen by accident; it happened because Rep. Monique Priestley, Sen. Wendy Harrison, and lawmakers from both parties stood up to relentless Big Tech lobbying and out-of-state pressure. It happened because Vermont parents, families and youth advocates refused to back down. That’s how you take on outside money and win. Across the country, we’re seeing the same pattern: when communities unite, they can overcome Big Tech’s shady tactics and deliver real protections for kids.”
Issue One celebrates new Vermont law to protect kids online
“We congratulate the advocates and lawmakers in Vermont for their tireless work to pass this bipartisan design code and protect children and teens. With this bill, Vermonters are creating critical safeguards for protecting kids online while harkening back to their history of being independent, resilient, and innovative to address the challenges of the 21st century. We are excited to see the passage of this bill come so soon after a similar law passed in Nebraska and call for more states to follow suit,” said Issue One Vice President of Advocacy Alix Fraser.
MAMA Applauds Vermont Age-Appropriate Design Code Being Signed into Law
“MAMA congratulates the lawmakers, parents and youth whose tireless advocacy led to this important victory in Vermont, part of a nationwide movement to hold big technology companies accountable for the harm they are causing with the addictive design of their products. It’s proof that when we come together to demand these tech companies put our kids’ safety first, we can win,” said Julie Scelfo, Founder and Executive Director of MAMA – Mothers Against Media Addiction.
SAVE (Suicide Awareness Voices of Education) celebrates Vermont Kids Code
“Vermont’s passage of the Kids Code is a landmark victory for children and families not just in Vermont but across the country,” said Erich Mische, CEO, SAVE-Suicide Awareness Voices of Education. “It sends a powerful message that protecting kids online must come before protecting Big Tech. Lawmakers didn’t just talk about it, they did something about it. SAVE is eager to see this type of bold, bipartisan effort brought forward in the next Minnesota legislative session with the same urgency and success.”
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