This commentary is by Sen. Kesha Ram Hinsdale, D-Chittenden Southeast.
As a Vermont senator and the mother of a toddler with a new baby on the way, I feel a deep personal responsibility to make sure the digital world our children grow up in is as safe and nurturing for them as the physical one.
That’s why I’m grateful our Legislature came together at the end of this session to pass the Vermont Kids Code. I’m proud to have sponsored this bill, not only as a lawmaker but also as a parent who understands the stakes.
As parents, we see the real-life consequences of inadequate digital safety every day. Our kids are online more than ever before, facing risks that range from harmful messages from strangers to addictive design features like the infinite scroll. These are real threats that can lead to tragic outcomes, as too many families in Vermont know all too well.
Across the country this year, from Vermont to Maryland, whose own Kids Code was signed into law last week, we’ve seen a powerful movement grow — a united effort of parents, young people, educators, pediatricians, technologists and policymakers. Together, we seek to address the tech industry’s often harmful influence on kids at its source, by making sure digital products for kids are designed with their privacy and well-being in mind.
Our efforts show that when it comes to protecting our children, support for smart solutions transcends politics. That’s why we passed the Vermont Kids Code with a unanimous tripartisan vote. It’s especially impressive because the resistance from big tech companies and their trade group allies has been fierce.
After their testimony before our committee, it’s clearer than ever to me that the tech industry is hiding behind an army of lobbying groups to avoid scrutiny for not supporting efforts to keep kids safe online while they continue doing their “business as usual.”
They argue that parents should just manage the risks alone by “taking their kids’ phones away,” but any parent struggling to navigate today’s digital landscape knows this is a complex problem we need cooperation to solve.
I believe our state and its economy will be stronger when we stand up to an industry whose biggest companies have consistently failed to protect its youngest users. What’s more, our work on this bill proves that we can regulate tech in a way that preserves Vermont’s tradition of creativity and innovation. That’s why local tech businesses like Front Porch Forum support the Kids Code.
Throughout the bill’s journey through our Legislature, the support we saw from communities across Vermont, including brave young people speaking out for action, was truly inspiring.
Now, Gov. Phil Scott has the opportunity to sign this much-needed, widely supported legislation into law. Let’s send a clear message that in Vermont, we put our kids first. We wouldn’t send our children to play alone in a dangerous park without safeguards in place, so why should we accept similar circumstances in the unregulated digital world?
We should demand better from the companies who profit from our kids’ attention and data.
Here in Vermont, we will.
The Kids Code offers my children and yours the opportunity to grow up with digital environments designed for them, and the tools we need to keep kids safe from routine exploitation and harm online.
Read the story on VTDigger here: Sen. Kesha Ram Hinsdale: It’s time for the Vermont Kids Code.