Attorney General Bird Continues Fight to Protect Kids from Social Media Harm

DES MOINES—Attorney General Brenna Bird announced today that she joined a bipartisan coalition of 31 states and the District of Columbia to support a Georgia law that limits addictive practices directed at minors by social media companies. 

States have an interest in protecting minors from the risks of social media addiction. As the brief states, “The social media companies have intentionally designed their products to addict kids into overuse, exploiting their vulnerabilities and human psychology. The results have been devastating. Hours of social media use each day doubles the risk of bad mental-health outcomes, including anxiety and depression...altered neurological development, and suicidal thoughts.” 

“As a mom and prosecutor, my priority is protecting vulnerable children from being targeted by social-media companies that profit at the expense of kids’ mental health,” said Attorney General Bird. “I’ll continue fighting for states’ ability to shield kids from harmful and predatory practices.”  

To support the Georgia law, Iowa joined the Utah-led brief along with attorneys general from Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wyoming, and the Arizona Senate President and Speaker of the House.  

Read the full brief here. 

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For More Information:

Jen Green 

jen.green@ag.iowa.gov