Yankee Institute urges Connecticut lawmakers to reject House Bill (H.B.) 6857, the social media “addictive feeds” bill. Although everyone agrees with the importance of protecting children online, this legislation is likely preempted by federal law, and will do little besides promote expensive and needless litigation.
“H.B. 6857 is an unfortunate mix of big-government paternalism and unconstitutional policy,” said Carol Platt Liebau, President of Yankee Institute. “It’s the kind of legislation that may sound good in headlines, but it doesn’t survive legal scrutiny — and it comes at great cost to Connecticut taxpayers.”
H.B. 6857 would ban platforms from recommending or prioritizing content to users under 18 without parental consent and would require sweeping age verification measures affecting all users — not just minors. This bill substitutes a one-size-fits-all state mandate for what should be a family-level decision.
“Parents — not politicians — should be deciding what their kids see online,” Liebau said. “This bill treats every household the same, no matter their values, needs, or choices.”
Courts across the country have already struck down similar laws in states like Arkansas and Ohio. Judges ruled that these types of policies violate core First Amendment rights, including not just the right to speak, but also the right to receive and curate information. H.B. 6857’s content regulation would almost certainly face the same legal fate.
Even more concerning: Connecticut Attorney General William Tong has publicly stated that his office lacks the financial resources to defend the state in complex federal litigation. Adopting H.B. 6857 would all but guarantee a costly constitutional challenge and drain the already limited legal capacity of the state.
“This bill would deplete legal funds our state simply doesn’t have,” Liebau said. “We have an attorney general on record saying his office is under-resourced. Do we really want to pass legislation that’s all but guaranteed to end up in an expensive federal court fight?”
Beyond legal concerns, H.B. 6857 would harm small businesses that depend on social media algorithms to reach customers. The bill would restrict those marketing tools, handing an advantage to out-of-state competitors while further discouraging local growth and innovation.
The bill also raises serious privacy issues. To comply with its mandates, platforms would have to collect more personal data from users of all ages, expanding surveillance risks and undermining user privacy under the guise of digital safety.
“There are better ways to protect kids online that respect both constitutional rights and parental rights,” Liebau concluded. “We support solutions like app store-level parental controls — tools that empower parents without growing government.”
Yankee Institute calls on the legislature to stop H.B. 6857 and focus on solutions that protect children, state finances, and the principles that keep our state free and prosperous.
