NAACP Calls for Protections for Children and Teens Online

The NAACP urges the Committee to reject any bill that weakens existing or future state protections for children and teens online. For Black children in particular, AI-driven systems are already amplifying long-standing inequities, and weak federal preemption will make them less safe, not more.

For 30 years, the absence of federal guardrails has allowed the technology industry to scale products without meaningful accountability. States filled the gap. The current versions of KOSA and COPPA 2.0 would override those state protections without replacing them with adequate civil rights safeguards.

AI tools are misidentifying, misjudging, and disproportionately targeting Black children. Biased surveillance systems are more likely to be deployed in majority-Black schools and neighborhoods, increasing criminalization rather than safety. Recommendation algorithms push Black youth toward violent, hypersexualized, or trauma-based content at higher rates, while deepfakes and AI-generated images increasingly target girls of color. Predatory data practices and ad targeting further exploit Black 
families who rely on low-cost digital tools with weak privacy protections.

The NAACP has been clear: AI will either deepen racial injustice or become a tool for liberation. For children and teens, especially Black youth, that outcome depends entirely on whether Congress sets real, enforceable safeguards instead of weakening the protections states have already built.

Without strong federal standards, AI will accelerate predation, discrimination, and psychological harm. Existing civil rights laws do not regulate how AI uses children's data, and companies face no obligation to evaluate racial disparity impacts. Parents lack essential protections, including age guardrails and enforceable rights.

The Senate overwhelmingly passed a stronger KOSA in 2024. The House bills under consideration fall 
short of that standard and expand the conditions under which AI can be used to exploit children and teens. Weak federal laws that preempt stronger state protections are worse than no federal law at all.

Protecting Black children online is a non-negotiable priority. Congress must adopt safeguards at least as strong as the Senate-passed KOSA and ensure civil rights protections are embedded, enforceable, and preserved at the state level. The NAACP will not support legislation that weakens the ability of states or families to protect the next generation from unregulated AI.