Vermont lawmakers pass ‘Kids Code’ data privacy bill

MONTPELIER, Vt. (WCAX) – Vermont lawmakers on Tuesday advanced a bill aimed at making social media less addictive for teens.

The Kids’ Code bill would require social media companies to set privacy settings by default, and it would ban addictive features like infinite scrolling and notifications.

Supporters say the measure is aimed at improving teens’ mental health and is modeled after bills in other states, and doesn’t moderate or ban content.

“We’re saying the design of a feature needs to be safe. So, if kids want to directly search content, they can do that. It’s just that they won’t be manipulated into seeing content based on their emotional state,” said Rep. Monique Priestley, D-Bradford.

The bill has one more stop in the Vermont Senate before heading to Governor Phil Scott.

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