EPIC Testifies in Support of New Jersey Age-Appropriate Design Code

The New Jersey Age-Appropriate Design Code (NJ AADC) advanced yesterday out of the General Assembly Committee on Science, Innovation and Technology. EPIC Counsel Suzanne Bernstein testified in support of the NJ AADC during yesterday’s Committee hearing, recommending ways to further strengthen the bill.

EPIC’s testimony explained why the NJ AADC model is the right approach to mitigate harms that kids face online. Companies design their platforms to extract as much time and data as possible, and in the process, they prey on minors’ psychological vulnerabilities for profit. The NJ AADC would require companies building these products to take responsibility for their harmful design choices and to start integrating privacy and safety by design.

Earlier this month, EPIC released a Model Age-Appropriate Design Code that protects kids online by prohibiting addictive design features for minors, giving them control over their privacy, and preventing companies from designing to promote compulsive use. In drafting the model bill, EPIC relied on its deep privacy knowledge, significant state policy experience, and expertise in speech-protective platform regulation. EPIC’s Model AADC was recently introduced in Georgia and Kansas.

Learn more about EPIC’s Model Age-Appropriate Design Code here.