Senate institutions committee hears testimony on S.69 age-appropriate design bill; members weigh narrow exemptions

The Senate Institutions Committee heard expert testimony and debated amendments to S.69, an "age-appropriate design" bill intended to limit online product designs that experts say increase risks to children and teens.

Dr. Jenny Radeski, an associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Michigan Medical School, testified in support of S.69 and described a range of harms she said are associated with platform design features. She told the committee that contact harms such as cyberbullying and online sexual solicitation are common; she cited studies showing nearly half of U.S. teens report bullying and about 60% of teens who play video games have experienced bullying. She said profiling and targeted advertising can steer minors toward gambling or alcohol marketing, and that design features — including weak privacy settings, anonymous interfaces, recommendation algorithms and visible like/follower counts — can increase grooming risk and prompt self-generated sexual imagery among minors.

"Designs are a really important opportunity for creating a safer, digital media ecosystem for kids," Radeski told the committee. She also described sleep disruption and compulsive use linked to push notifications, infinite scroll, autoplay…