Every product on the market is subject to stringent testing and regulation. Why should social media be the exception? The #MDKidsCode would implement a similar product safety approach to ensure Maryland’s young people are protected from social media’s harms.

A parent fights for stricter online rules in the wake of his son’s tragedy.

The #MDKidsCode would require tech companies to default to the highest privacy settings and comply with regular data privacy assessments. This comes in the wake of a nationwide lawsuit against Meta for implementing addictive design features that harm young people’s mental health in the company’s endless pursuit of profit.

This week, Minor will take his heartbreaking story to state legislators, as two committees hear the Maryland Kids Code or the “Age Appropriate Design Code,” or AADC.

The #MDKidsCode would require tech companies to design their products with young people’s safety and privacy in mind. If passed, the bill would subject tech platforms to regular safety assessments to ensure they’re defaulting to the highest privacy settings, limiting the sale of kids’ data, and more to prevent the spread of harmful content.