Arlington, VA — The American Consumer Institute (ACI) has submitted a public letter on Vermont’s proposed age appropriate design code contained in S. 69. In the letter to Senate President Pro Tempore Philip Baruth and Senate Institutions Committee Chair Wendy Harrison, ACI warns that the bill relies on flawed assumptions about the relationship between social media and adolescent mental health while introducing significant privacy risks.
ACI highlights research showing that the link between social media use and teen mental health is weak and inconclusive. We caution that enacting rigid regulations without a solid evidence base could lead to policies that infringe on First Amendment rights, as demonstrated by similar laws already blocked in court. Furthermore, S. 69’s implicit age verification requirements could result in greater data collection, inadvertently exposing children to privacy risks rather than protecting them.
ACI urges Vermont lawmakers to reconsider this approach and, at a minimum, delay action until further research clarifies the role of technology in youth mental health. “A course correction is in order,” said Logan Kolas, ACI’s Director of Technology Policy.
Read the full comments below.
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