Bill seeks to provide online protection for children

Maryland legislators are heading a nation-leading effort to protect children and their data online.

The Maryland Kids Code — a bill sent to the governor’s desk after unanimous votes from the House and Senate on its third reading — seeks to afford protections to children from all online products they are likely to access.

The bill states that entities that develop and provide online services and products that children are reasonably likely to access shall ensure the best interests of children when designing, developing and providing those products.

Currently, 75% of the top social media platforms use AI to recommend children’s profiles to strangers, according to the Maryland Kids Code Coalition’s website. One in three of the top 100 free apps on the Google Play store have banner ads, including ads for adult content, the website says.

According to the Pew Research Center, in 2022, 97% of American teenagers aged 13–17 used the internet every day, with 46% responding they used the internet almost constantly.

Del. C. T. Wilson (D-Charles) was one of the sponsors of the bill.

“Tonight’s vote is a landmark moment for Maryland kids and families working toward a better, safer online world,” said Todd Minor Sr. and Mia Minor, parent advocates from Accokeek who founded the Matthew E. Minor Awareness Foundation. “We’ve worked hard for this moment, and we’re super proud our legislators had the courage and determination to stand up to the Big Tech lobbyists in the hope that other families will never have to suffer pain like ours has endured.”

The Matthew E. Minor Awareness Foundation was created after Matthew Minor died at 12 years old as a result of the “choking/black-out” challenge that had been circulating on social media and other internet platforms.

“Today’s vote shows support for the Kids Code model’s safety-by-design and privacy-by-default principles that transcends political divides, reflecting growing public recognition of the urgent need for smart, effective policy solutions to protect kids online,” Maryland Kids Code Coalition spokeswoman Marisa Shea of St. Mary’s County said.

The bill has wide-reaching support, with organizations like the Digital Harbor Foundation, the Free State PTA, the Maryland Association of School Health Nurses, the Maryland Coalition of Families and the Maryland State Education Association testifying in favor of it.