U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-Montgomery) told Fox News this week that Congress must confront the growing dangers children face online, warning that Big Tech continues to put “profits over protecting our children.”
Her comments came during an appearance on “America’s Newsroom,” where she reacted to Australia’s newly announced social media restrictions for minors. According to a press release from Britt’s office, the Alabama senator said the mounting evidence of harm has become impossible to ignore.
Britt said federal lawmakers have heard far too many heartbreaking accounts from families whose children were harmed as a result of social media platforms prioritizing engagement and profit above safety.
“Look, what we have seen, Bill, is that tech companies care about one thing and that’s their bottom line. Time and time again, we have exposed what they are doing to children, what these algorithms do … How many parents do we have to have come in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee and others telling us the heartbreaking story of losing their children before we act? I think the time for action, Bill, is now, and I commend Australia for actually doing something and protecting their most valuable and precious asset and that’s the next generation.”
When asked whether Congress should pursue similar protective measures, Britt said the evidence is overwhelming that social media is harming teens — and that federal inaction has dragged on for too long.
“It needs to. And I think when you look at what’s happening right now with our kids, ages 13 to 17, they have said they actually feel more negative, feel more depressed—almost 50% of them admit to that after being on social media … [T]he previous Surgeon General said kids shouldn’t be on social media until they’re 16. Now is the time to act. But the truth is, is Big Tech has a grip on Congress, and Congress’ inaction is feckless. I do not have to ask people what it is like to raise kids right now, I am living it. And we know the harms, and it is our job to put up the proper guardrails so that these kids can flourish.”
She continued: “I think the time for action is now, and I think that Australia taking this step, Bill, I hope leads the U.S. to actually do something.”
Her warning grew more urgent as she described the escalating threats children encounter online, noting that today’s parents are navigating a digital environment far more dangerous than the one they grew up in.
“Look, parents are doing the best they can … We did not grow up in a society with front facing cameras. Bill, the game has changed. You think about everything from children buying things on Snapchat that are laced with fentanyl, to bullying that leads to depression and sometimes suicidal thoughts and actually actions. You look at AI chatbots that we have now exposed are having sensual relationships with eight-year-olds, and Meta knows that that is taking place. To now sextortion, so children are obviously sharing a photo of themselves … and these kinds of things have then turned into blackmail and ultimately way too many children taking their lives …”
She added: “[W]e [used to] come home and we’d lock our doors at night, Bill, and we then felt like our children were safe. What has happened now is people who want to do our children harm are literally in the palm of their hand …”
“But at the end of the day, that does not negate the fact that D.C. needs to do something. They need to take a step back from the grip that Big Tech has on them, and think about their children and the next generation, Bill. That’s what’s at stake here.”
Katie Britt advocates for ‘Kids Off Social Media Act in Senate floor speech
Britt’s concerns on the program reflect her broader legislative push to curb online harms. She has introduced measures such as the Kids Off Social Media Act and the Stop the Scroll Act. Britt also recently questioned experts and parents of sextortion victims during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, reiterating her push to hold social media platforms accountable.
Katie Britt marking Mental Health Awareness Month with reintroduction of Stop the Scroll Act
Britt’s appearance underscored her escalating drive for accountability across Silicon Valley. She said the evidence of harm is too overwhelming to ignore and warned that continued inaction would leave another generation exposed to avoidable dangers.
With other countries stepping in where the U.S. has not, Britt said Congress must finally confront Big Tech’s influence and prioritize children’s safety.
Sherri Blevins is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You may contact her at [email protected].
