MONTPELIER – More than a dozen organizations and advocates that helped lead the successful fight for the Vermont Kids Code, S.69, which state lawmakers passed both chambers last month with overwhelming bipartisan votes, are today urging Governor Phil Scott to protect kids’ data, privacy, and safety online by signing the Vermont Kids Code into law.
“You have the power to catapult our state and this nation into a safer future, despite the well-funded tech lobby’s insistence on fighting such progress,” wrote advocates including Design It For Us, Mothers Against Media Addiction (MAMA), ParentsTogether Action, Issue One, and The Tech Oversight Project. “We call on you to reject Big Tech industry pressure and stand with Vermont families by signing this bill into law.”
Governor Scott received S.69 last Friday and must now act by the end of the week. The advocates’ letter comes days after a fresh attempt from Big Tech lobbyists to scuttle the bill by sending a veto request to Governor Scott despite parents’ and young people’s pleas for action.
“Vermont has the opportunity to lead the way for the country by passing this bill. It establishes a clear standard for protecting my peers in an age where we’re increasingly vulnerable,” said Kaitlynn Cherry (20), an advocate with Design It For Us from Sunderland, Vermont. “Vermont needs to be proactive. With the continued development of technology and artificial intelligence, the harm that is already impacting young people will only be exacerbated. This bill serves as an opportunity to put necessary safeguards in place that put us back in the driving seat. Our future selves will thank us when we have safety, privacy, and autonomy in our digital experiences. I urge Governor Scott to sign the Vermont AADC into law.”
Last month, parents, young people, small business leaders, and advocates for Big Tech accountability joined forces to call for action on the bill:
- Manchester Journal – ‘It’s time to break free’: Legislators, students rally in Manchester for Age-Appropriate Design (Danielle M. Crosier, May 19, 2025)
- Greater Northshire Access Television – Rally for the Age Appropriate Design Code (The News Project, May 20, 2025)
- Front Porch Forum – Letter to VT Legislators
- Design It For Us – Letter to Governor Scott
In Vermont, major tech companies have significantly ramped up their lobbying efforts in recent years against efforts to pass the Vermont Kids Code and other data privacy laws, exemplifying Big Tech’s substantial and growing influence in state politics. An op-ed from more than a dozen Vermont lawmakers urges community members to call on the Governor to “stand with Vermont families, not with the powerful out-of-state corporations working behind the scenes to stop this bill.”
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