LANSING – Michigan Kids Code Coalition advocates celebrated as the Kids Over Clicks package of youth online safety bills, which includes the Michigan Kids Code, passed the Senate Finance, Insurance, and Consumer Protection Committee with an overwhelming vote of five Senators in favor and one abstention.

“We applaud Chair Cavanagh and the entire Senate Finance, Insurance, and Consumer Protection Committee for today’s overwhelming vote in favor of urgently-needed Michigan Kids Over Clicks legislation including the Michigan Kids Code, and we’re especially grateful to Senators Camilleri, Chang, Hertel, and Polehanki for their leadership,” said Michigan Kids Code Coalition advocate Jennifer Tuksal of the Michigan Parent Alliance for Safe Schools (MiPASS). “Parents, young people, educators, and medical professionals all agree: Big Tech needs to be confronted for harming kids, and today, Michigan lawmakers delivered.”

Earlier this month, Kids Code Coalition advocates testified to the committee in support of the bills, including Michigan parent advocate Charay Gadd, whose 12-year-old daughter London died by suicide in 2024. She was joined by leading medical professionals, policy experts, and youth advocates representing the Michigan Student Turnout Project and the Young People’s Alliance. 

Michigan’s Kids Over Clicks legislative package includes: 

The Kids Code Act (Senate Bills 758–759), introduced by Senator Kevin Hertel and Senator Stephanie Chang, would mandate stricter data privacy and safety settings for minors by default on digital platforms while also giving parents more control over their children’s online accounts.

The Stop Addictive Feeds Exploitation (SAFE) for Kids Act (Senate Bill 757), introduced by Senator Darrin Camilleri, would prohibit social media platforms from providing addictive, personal data-driven feeds to minors without parental consent.

The Leading Ethical AI Development (LEAD) for Kids Act (Senate Bill 760), introduced by Senator Dayna Polehanki, would ensure that dangerous AI companion chatbots are inaccessible to children, including those that have the capability to encourage harmful, explicit, or illegal activities.

A floor vote in the Senate is expected as the next step for the package. To learn more about the Michigan Kids Code, visit https://kidscodecoalition.org/michigan/.

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