Connecticut Attorney General William Tong announced proposed legislation to protect minors from addictive social media features. The bill would prohibit exposing minors to harmful algorithms without parental consent, set default usage limits and notification restrictions, and require annual reporting by social media companies. This follows ongoing legal actions against Meta and TikTok for youth addiction concerns.
The proposed legislation requires social media companies to implement default settings for account privacy, usage time limits (one hour per day), and notification bans between midnight and 6 a.m. Parental consent is required to alter defaults. Companies must annually report the number of minors on their platform, those with parental consent, and average usage time by age and time of day.
In-house legal teams should review contracts with social media platforms or services that may be used by minors. Check for clauses regarding minor usage, parental consent mechanisms, algorithm design, usage time limits, and notification settings. Ensure contracts comply with emerging state laws on youth social media addiction and include provisions for data reporting and default protections.
Entity
Social Media Companies
Industry
Social Media"social media companies"
"exposing minors to harmful and addictive algorithms and notifications"
$625K
Connecticut reached a $625,000 settlement with Frontier Communications Parent Inc. over an April 2024 breach in which compromised employee and vendor credentials were used to access internal systems and exfiltrate unencrypted personal information of 58,841 Connecticut residents. The settlement requires Frontier to strengthen its security program, implement specific safeguards and training, and obtain an independent third-party assessment.
$2.6M
Connecticut and New York found that Boston Children’s Health Physicians and its security vendor, XTIUM, failed to use reasonable safeguards, resulting in hackers accessing sensitive personal, medical, and employee information. The companies agreed to pay penalties totaling $2.64 million and implement enhanced cybersecurity measures.
Connecticut joined a coalition of state attorneys general filing a notice in Character Technologies, Inc.’s bankruptcy proceedings, raising concerns about the company’s safety and privacy practices and the sensitive information it holds. The states seek protections for children and consumers if the company’s business or assets are sold or transferred; the filing does not impose a fine or other remedy.
Attorney General William Tong and Consumer Counsel Claire Coleman petitioned PURA to review how Connecticut public utilities use artificial intelligence, citing potential data privacy and cybersecurity risks, algorithmic errors, and misleading outputs. The petition asks PURA to examine utility AI systems, safeguards, vendors, and data security practices; it does not report a finding of violation or an imposed penalty.
$2.0M
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong announced a settlement with RZ Smoke, Inc. over allegations that it distributed and sold high-potency cannabis products without a state license. The stipulated judgment is $2 million, with $375,000 payable to the State and $1.6 million suspended to ensure compliance; the company is barred from specified cannabis activities in Connecticut unless licensed.
$13.7M
Connecticut joined a coalition of states and the federal government in settling allegations that Takeda paid healthcare providers speaker honoraria and provided meals to induce prescriptions of Trintellix, leading to allegedly false claims to government healthcare programs. Takeda agreed to pay $13,670,921 plus accrued interest, with portions allocated to federal and state programs.