Documents in Vermont Attorney General Charity Clark’s lawsuit against Meta reveal that even with around 80% of Vermont teens using Instagram in 2020 — one of the highest rates in the country — the company was still working on ways to get those teens to spend more time per day on the app.

An internet-safety bill that some lawmakers are characterizing as the “strongest” piece of youth mental health legislation in Montpelier this year faces an almost certain legal challenge from the big technology companies it seeks to regulate.

A re-tooled push to pass U.K.-inspired online privacy protections for kids is testing the resolve and patience of state lawmakers, as the tech industry presses the case that the proposals are unconstitutional.

Ram Hinsdale is the lead sponsor of S.289, Vermont’s version of a bill being spearheaded in six other state Legislatures by the national advocacy group Kids Code Coalition. The California state Legislature passed its version of the bill in 2022.

A new bill is pushing for greater protections for kids online in the Vermont state legislature this session. We talk to the co-sponsors of this legislation about why this matters right now.