S0069 creates the Vermont Age-Appropriate Design Code Act, which imposes extensive regulations on "covered businesses," mandating highest-level default privacy settings for minors, as well as restrictions on data collection, processing, sharing, and retention of minors' personal data. Additionally, it prohibits design practices that could lead to compulsive use or emotional distress, and grants the attorney general broad rule-making authority to define prohibited practices and standards.
The Vermont Senate passed S0069 on March 12, 2025 by a vote of 25 to 5. We have assigned pluses to the nays because this legislation imposes government overreach that burdens businesses with vague, costly compliance mandates, and substitutes state bureaucrats and the attorney general for parental responsibility in guiding children's online activity. True protection of children comes from responsible parents exercising authority over their family. Expansive state regulations that impose one-size-fits-all schemes on private companies encourages further erosion of online freedoms under the guise of "safety."
