Georgia Senate study committee advances report on social media and AI risks to children

Georgia lawmakers aren’t yet back in session, but the debate over how to protect children online is already taking shape at the State Capitol.

On Wednesday, a bipartisan Senate study committee advanced a report examining the impact of social media and artificial intelligence on young people. Committee members described the move as both urgent and overdue.

According to The Atlanta Voice, the report was approved unanimously during a brief public meeting in room 450, though senators said the difficult conversations are only beginning.

The committee, co-chaired by Sens. Sally Harrell and Shawn Still, includes a mix of parents and grandparents who say they’ve witnessed firsthand how technology is shaping childhood.

Harrell warned that young people are “online constantly in a defensive state,” a concern echoed in the committee’s findings, which noted that Georgia children spend an average of five hours a day on their phones.

Still told The Atlanta Voice he expects meaningful legislation to emerge from the report, adding, “We are very optimistic that we are going to have some legislation to protect our kids in this state.”

The report’s recommendations cover five major areas: education, parental controls, social media and gaming, privacy and design, and digital ownership. One proposed change would extend last year’s bell-to-bell cellphone restrictions to high school students. Still said the legislation will be bipartisan, though he also acknowledged that major technology companies have already pushed back.

“The technology companies don’t want this,” he said. “The stock prices are their concern… It’s about greed for them.”

Sen. Sheikh Rahman, also serves on the committee, he stressed the need for swift action. “We need to protect our children,” he said during the meeting, later telling The Atlanta Voice that young people are adapting faster than adults can keep up.

Janice Mathis, a grandmother and Clark Atlanta University employee, told The Atlanta Voice she fears excessive screen time is crowding out other activities for her 13-year-old grandson.

With a high-stakes 2026 election year approaching, lawmakers say the coming session will be crowded with competing priorities. Still, Harrell warned that the stakes of inaction are too high.

“We are at a critical point when we can either turn this around or it’s going to get worse,” she said.