Artificial Intelligence Executive Order Will Cause More Life-Threatening Online Harms

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) — ParentsSOS, a coalition of 20 survivor families who have lost children to online harms, issued the following statement following President Trump's executive order that attempts to block states from enforcing laws to regulate artificial intelligence (AI):

“This AI executive order will no doubt put kids at risk by chilling state-level efforts to protect kids from dangerous online harms caused by AI platforms.

“As survivor parents, we have been devastated by stories of children dying by suicide after being encouraged by AI chatbots. We cannot let Big Tech companies experiment on our children and expand with impunity when their products are known to cause irreparable harm.

“This week’s markup of the House versions of the Kids Online Safety Act and COPPA 2.0 only reiterated that Big Tech companies are vying to normalize preemption of state laws at the federal level. By spending millions on lobbying efforts, they are attempting to buy their way out of accountability and justice.

“We urge President Trump to stand with survivor parents and revoke this executive order because we need stricter safeguards at the state and federal levels to protect our children from preventable and devastating online harms stemming from AI platforms. We also call on states across the country to push forward in their efforts to keep kids safe through meaningful legislation.” ▪