Democratic Project 2029 calls for child social media ban, strict kids safety rules on tech

Technology Democratic Project 2029 calls for child social media ban, strict kids safety rules on tech Comments: by Miranda Nazzaro - 06/29/26 12:22 PM ET Comments: Link copied by Miranda Nazzaro - 06/29/26 12:22 PM ET Comments: Link copied

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Democrats working on a policy blueprint ahead of the 2028 presidential election released their kids online safety proposal Monday, calling for a ban on social media for kids under 16 and stronger privacy protections.

The “Kids Over Clicks” proposal is the first to be released by the group, Project 2029, and zeroes in on the mental and physical health impacts of social media — and now artificial intelligence — on kids and teens.

The proposal cites numerous studies about the potential addictive nature of social media, arguing the federal government has “largely sat on the sidelines” to “establishing commonsense rules of the road.”

Project 2029 calls for lawmakers to ban social media platforms for kids under 16, a measure that is being embraced by a handful of other countries.

The approach, according to the group, “buys time for adolescent brains to develop the cognitive defenses needed to navigate platforms built around addictive design.” Many of the most popular social media platforms are owned by American tech companies, and such a blanket ban is likely to face intense backlash.

The group calls the kids safety push a Big Tobacco moment, comparing such a ban to the age restrictions put on nicotine, gambling or driving.

It also urges lawmakers to implement privacy-by-default, or the strictest privacy settings, and safety-by-design measures that embed safeguards into a system at its inception.

Other proposed measures include new rules for generative AI chatbots, including updating Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act to clarify AI firms are not shielded from liability for the system’s output.

Section 230 largely protects technology companies from being held legally responsible for third party or user content. Policymakers have pushed for Section 230 to be updated for years, arguing the internet is a drastically different landscape than when the measure was put into law in 1996.

“This clarification would allow kids who experience chatbot-induced harms to have their day in court and force companies to internalize some of the downstream costs, leading to incentives more aligned with the public interest,” the proposal states.

Project 2029 also calls for an overall narrowing of Section 230 amid a wave of legal challenges filed against social media and AI firms.

Semafor, which first reported the proposal, said the framework has the support of Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill (D) and Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers.

Other recommendations include bell-to-bell cellphone bans in schools and a campaign to discourage kids from having smartphones until the age of 14.

It comes as current lawmakers in Washington wrestle with a solution to kids online safety. They have faced pressure for years to do more to protect kids online, but partisan and intraparty fights have prevented most measures from passing Congress.

The House is slated to vote Monday evening on a bipartisan kids safety package, called the Kids Internet and Digital Safety Act, including the chamber’s version of the landmark Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA).

It is expected to be brought under a special, fast-track process called suspension of the rules. The provision requires two-thirds majority support for bills to pass.

The package, despite last-minute Democratic support, is facing intense pushback from tech watchdog and kids-safety groups.

Many take issue with the House version of KOSA and its removal of the duty of care provision, which would have legally required platforms to “exercise reasonable care” to prevent harms to minors. Harms include eating disorders, suicide, substance use disorders and sexual exploitation.

While it could pass the House under the suspension of rules, it faces a long road ahead in the Senate. The upper chamber’s KOSA co-authors Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) said the removal of the duty of care is a nonstarter.