Connecticut Enacts Protections to Shield Minors from Online Risks

A new online privacy and data protection law will take effect on Oct. 1, safeguarding the privacy of Connecticut minors and prohibiting the exploitation of their personal data in harmful ways.

Passage of the new law was led by state Sen. James Maroney, a Milford Democrat who co-chairs the legislature’s General Law Committee.

“Protecting children’s data privacy online is essential because it safeguards their innocence, ensures their safety, and preserves their right to grow and learn without being exploited or manipulated,” Maroney said. “In an increasingly digital world, their personal information should be secure for their future.”

The new law will require sites that offer online service to minors to use reasonable care to avoid a “heightened risk” of harm to young people. Such risks include unfair or deceptive treatment; financial, physical or reputational injury; and invasion of privacy. It will also ban targeted advertisements and the sale of data generated by users under the age of 18 without opt-in consent.

The new online privacy law will also prohibit features designed to significantly increase a minor’s use of the online service, i.e., endless scrolling habits, prohibit collection of geo location data without opt-in consent, and ban unsolicited direct messaging from an adult to an unknown minor.

The law follows, and is modeled in part on, the Age-Appropriate Design Code adopted in the United Kingdom. The UK law helped to spur reforms by leading tech companies. For instance, Google made SafeSearch the default for minors, YouTube turned off Autoplay and set bedtime reminders for young users, and TikTok disabled messaging between minors and unknown adults.

Researchers have found the wellbeing of America’s youth in an alarming state. According to a 2024 report by the CDC, 53% of high school girls in 2023 reported feeling “persistently sad or hopeless” over the previous year, up from 36% in 2011. Meanwhile, 27 percent of high school girls seriously considered attempting suicide in 2021, up from 19% in 2011.

Social media use by teens took off in that time frame, in a trend that began before the COVID-19 pandemic. Studies suggest there is a strong negative correlation between mental health and social media use.

As youth mental health metrics have declined, tech companies have employed the personal data of minors to target them with advertisements, to lure them into scrolling longer, or encourage them to continue watching videos.

From 2019 to 2021, youth increased their screen time 17%, which encompassed an average of 5 hours and 33 minutes daily for those 8 to 12 years old, and 8 hours and 39 minutes for those 13 to 18 years old.

Maroney introduced the bill in 2023, when it passed unanimously in the House and the Senate. Similar to the 2022 Data Protection Act, the bill only applies to certain companies of a significant size or otherwise control a significant amount of personal data.

Posted By Michelle Rappaport