Attorney General outlines social‑media limits for minors, new consumer policing powers and ticketing disclosures

Attorney General William Tong told the General Law Committee on Feb. 10 that his office will press several consumer protection measures this session, including limits on social‑media company algorithms aimed at minors, new disclosure and resale rules for event tickets and an expanded price‑gouging authority he says is needed to reach wholesalers and manufacturers.

Tong said his social‑media bill (HB 6857) would require platforms to default to privacy and activity limits for users under 18: age‑verified parental consent for algorithmic targeting, default privacy settings, notification limits and a default curfew that restricts algorithmic targeting between midnight and 6 a.m., with parents able to opt‑in to relax those limits. He also said the bill would require platforms to report annually the number of minor accounts, parental‑consent rates and average time per day by age and time of day.

“Parents need help,” Tong said in his opening remarks, describing internal industry research he said shows a connection between algorithmic feeds and shortened sleep and increased anxiety among teenagers. He added his office has sued major platforms over targeting and design choices that he said create addiction and escalate harmful content.

Committee members from both parties praised the proposal’s bipartisan momentum but pressed Tong on technical and enforcement questions: how to verify parental consent, how platforms can implement verifiable age gates, and whether schools or parents should bear responsibility if controls are circumvented. Tong said the bill requires “reasonable verification” by platforms and that technology companies already have tools they can repurpose for stronger age verification. Representative Turco asked about the one‑hour‑per‑day limit and how parental overrides would be authenticated; Tong said simple click‑throughs would not suffice and said multi‑factor approaches are required.

Tong also described a package of consumer protection proposals in HB 6858, which he characterized as a grab‑bag of commonly raised problems. He told the committee the bill would require ticket sellers — primary and secondary markets — to publish all fees and to stop deceptive “look‑alike” reseller websites and URLs that impersonate venues. “When a price shows up online, it should be the all‑in price,” he said, adding the bill would require secondary resellers to disclose whether they hold the physical ticket or merely a contract to acquire it.

The attorney general asked the committee to expand his office’s price‑gouging authority (HB 6856) to allow the office to declare an “abnormal economic disruption” and to coordinate with the Department of Consumer Protection (DCP) and Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) when investigating upstream wholesalers or manufacturers who elevate prices during an emergency. Under current law Tong said his office is limited to investigating only the immediate retailer.

“We learned during COVID that complaints mostly concerned wholesaler or distributor conduct, not the local seller,” Tong said, describing egg price spikes and multi‑state investigations. He said the expanded authority would mirror other states and would include a consultative requirement with DCP and DECD but left open whether formal checks on extensions are required. Committee members and industry witnesses asked for clearer statutory definitions and for guardrails on duration and review of any emergency period the attorney general declares.

Industry and trade witnesses — including representatives of convenience retailers, fuel distributors and live‑event venues — told the committee they support consumer protections but urged narrow, precise language. Fuel and propane industry representatives warned that undefined phrases such as “unconscionably excessive” would be impossible for merchants to apply in the moment and could chill ordinary price‑setting. Venue operators and ticket marketplaces supported clear disclosure rules and uniform domain/URL standards to prevent look‑alike scams, and asked the committee to avoid unintentionally blocking legitimate advertising or search results.

What’s next: The committee heard the AG’s testimony but did not vote on any bill. Members signaled they would circulate technical amendments on price‑gouging thresholds, emergency‑declaration procedures, and ticketing domain language. The social‑media proposal drew the most sustained interest and will be a focus in follow‑up sessions.

Sources: Attorney General William Tong testimony to the Connecticut General Law Committee (Feb. 10, 2025); public testimony from event‑industry, fuel and retail witnesses.