(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today announced that he has signed into law a multi-pronged, bipartisan piece of legislation that will work to protect Connecticut children and adults from some of the harms associated with recent advancements in the digital age, like youth social media addiction and concerns over the growing use of artificial intelligence. The bill also establishes workforce training initiatives to ensure the state’s workers are prepared with the advanced tools needed to compete for high-quality tech jobs in the modern world.
The legislation, Public Act 26-15, was written as a collaborative effort between Governor Lamont, Attorney General William Tong, and State Senator James Maroney (D-Milford), co-chair of the legislature’s General Law committee. The officials said that codifying these protections in state statute is necessary due to Washington, D.C.’s inaction to address these issues on the federal level.
“Increasingly, social media companies are taking advantage of kids, creating apps and algorithms that decrease their attention spans and drive them to become addicted, causing them to tune out learning and tune our each other, and harmfully impact their mental health and wellbeing,” Governor Lamont said. “We can no longer wait for Washington, D.C. to do the right thing and enact protections over these digital tools that give parents more control—it is time for the states to take action. This bill strikes a good balance between protecting children, ensuring workers are being treated fairly, and promoting innovation. I specifically want to thank Senator Maroney for his advocacy on these issues and his work with my office to develop this legislation and get it approved so that I could sign it into law.”
“Connecticut is done waiting for the tech elites and Washington to do right by our families,” Attorney General Tong said. “The tech bros look at our kids, our jobs, our way of life and they see dollar signs. They know their social media platforms are addictive, harmful, and divisive. They know that we do not have the guardrails and tools to protect ourselves against the artificial intelligence they are unleashing. They know, and they don’t care so long as the profits keep flowing. This law is a major bipartisan step towards reclaiming parental control over our kids’ exposure to dangerously addictive and deeply destructive social media platforms, and an important first step towards harnessing and containing the possibilities and risks of artificial intelligence.”
“Connecticut has once again shown that states don’t have to wait for Washington to act in the best interests of their residents,” State Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff (D-Norwalk) said. “This law protects our children from addictive algorithms designed to hook them, ensures workers know when AI is making decisions about their careers, and positions Connecticut as a national leader in building a workforce ready for the AI economy. I’m proud of the strong bipartisan work that got this done, and I want to thank Senator Maroney for his tireless advocacy on this issue.”
“I was proud to work alongside my colleagues and the governor’s office to deliver legislation that strikes the right balance between protecting Connecticut residents and fostering innovation,” Senator Maroney said. “This bill safeguards children from the dangers of unregulated AI chatbots, shields residents from potential bias in the hiring process, incentivizes healthcare innovation through a partnership with Yale, and sets Connecticut on a path toward becoming the most AI-literate workforce in America.”
“Artificial intelligence is already shaping the information we see, the jobs people apply for, the services we use, and the decisions that affect our daily lives,” State Representative Hubert Delany (D-Stamford) said. “With the C.A.R.T. Act, Connecticut is choosing to lead with clear rules, public trust, and real accountability. This law creates real protections against the misuse of AI while preparing our workers, students, businesses, and public institutions for an AI-enabled future. The future of AI should be built with people in mind, and today Connecticut is helping lead the way.”
“Our kids are at risk, and it has led to many being hurt mentally and even physically by the engineered design of most social media and artificial intelligence platforms that put profits over the safety of their users,” State Representative Gary Turco (D-Newington, New Britain), vice chair of the General Law Committee, said. “I’m proud that Connecticut is stepping up with the passage of this new comprehensive law to increase regulation and improve transparency to protect residents, especially children, while at the same time supporting resources to help promote the responsible development and a prepared workforce for emerging technologies.”
Combatting youth social media addiction
The legislation requires social media companies to take several actions protecting anyone under 18 from social media addiction and other harms.
Social media companies must verify a user’s age and, if the user is a minor, receive permission from the minor’s parent or legal guardian to access addictive algorithmic feed. Additionally, these apps cannot send minors notifications between 9:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. It also requires apps to make the default setting, among others, one that limits the minor’s access to any portion of the platform that uses a personalized algorithm to one hour per day. Each of the established default protections can be modified or removed with permission from the minor’s parent or legal guardian.
Social media companies will also now be required to annually disclose certain information for the previous calendar year. This includes providing certain statistics about users, such as the number that obtained parental or guardian consent and used the default setting, as well as the average amount of time users spent on the platform.
Safe regulation of artificial intelligence
This legislation advances several critical AI regulations to protect Connecticut residents from potential digital harms.
Among them includes requiring AI chatbot operators to make reasonable efforts to detect suicidal ideations or indicators of self-harm expressed by users and have a protocol to respond with appropriate resources. This component of the bill is especially urgent given AI chatbot use trends and ongoing harms faced by vulnerable populations. These chatbots are being deployed and popularized rapidly without the proper safeguards in place.
Other crucial protections include employment disclosures to combat unintended discrimination. Employees deserve to be notified if AI is being used to make hiring and employment decisions, as these decisions greatly impact their careers and lives.
Promoting a responsible AI workforce and boosting economic development
Various programs and partnerships in this bill promote Connecticut residents to get educated on emerging technical skills so that our state is home to a robust AI talent network and our workforce doesn’t get left behind as the world quickly modernizes.
Training and information provided to nonprofits and small businesses will increase their AI literacy so they can apply efficiencies to their operations and function well in this new technological landscape.
Partnerships with the Connecticut Department of Housing, Connecticut Department of Labor, and the Secretary of the State will help connect Connecticut residents to the AI Academy, which will equip them with essential AI knowledge and skills to prosper in a modern workplace.
This bill also establishes an AI regulatory sandbox program. The program will provide an environment where development and collaboration can thrive, leading to breakthroughs and advancements while ensuring appropriate regulatory oversight.
The responsible use of AI also offers potential to enhance the efficiency of government and serve constituents. Programs and partnerships included in this bill will work toward modernizing our state government. Equipping Connecticut’s workforce with the skills and knowledge to utilize AI effectively is essential for realizing the full potential of this technology and ensuring a smooth and equitable transition into an AI economy. This legislation will ensure that residents are protected from harmful AI models and that the state will be a leader in safe and innovative uses of AI.