Sen. Britt Slams Congress: Stop Failing Our Kids on AI Dangers!

Paul Riverbank, 12/29/2025Parents unite across party lines, demanding urgent Congressional action to protect kids from AI dangers.

New polling drives the point home: according to research out of FabrizioWard, more than eight in ten registered voters say they want Congress to act — decisively, and soon. That’s not your typical split electorate. The dangers worrying parents and voters alike have gotten both more vivid and much harder to brush aside. The stories pile up — a mother in Ohio recounting her daughter’s spiral into anxiety after stumbling across deepfake images, a father in Florida bewildered by his son’s obsession with algorithm-fueled social feeds that never seem to end.

Sen. Katie Britt has become a familiar face on this front. The Alabama lawmaker, who often mentions her teenagers back home, isn’t shy about sharing how personal this battle feels for her. During a recent sit-down on CNN, Britt cut through the political theatrics with a blunt question: “How many families are going to have to come to Capitol Hill, begging Congress to act, before something actually changes?” She’s talked openly about late-night conversations with other parents and tries, sometimes unsuccessfully, to keep Congressional focus on real harm, not hypothetical tech futures.

Tech companies, meanwhile, insist they’re rolling out new parental controls, but Britt and many other critics argue business interests still take top billing. There’s frustration — almost fatigue — among parents who’ve watched wave after wave of industry promises fade into loopholes and opt-out forms buried deep in settings menus. “If these companies wanted to, they could get ahead of this,” Britt remarked in a recent hearing, expressing a sentiment that lands with exhausted parents everywhere.

What’s striking is how this anxiety is not marbled with the usual partisan distrust. It’s everywhere — from supporters of Donald Trump in West Virginia to Kamala Harris fans in California’s Bay Area, voters want action now. The polling is crystal clear: protective guardrails for children can’t wait. For many, it’s much less about theoretical threats to free speech or innovation, and far more about preventing another devastating incident. One respondent — a swing-state mother — summed it up succinctly: “I just want my kid safe. And I don’t care who gets credit.”

This groundswell is pushing the conversation out of the theoretical and into action. Many Americans aren’t confident that Congress can, or will, act quickly enough. Interestingly, around six in ten voters polled say they’d support the President stepping in with executive orders to create basic safety standards if lawmakers bicker or stall. “Something is better than nothing,” a father in Arizona told me recently, brushing off his own initial misgivings about executive overreach.

For the tech sector, federal action is not a threat but a relief. State lawmakers have leapt ahead, each crafting their own rules — a regulatory minefield that’s left Silicon Valley legal teams racing to stay ahead. As one industry analyst noted, “Trying to keep up with a dozen different state laws is basically impossible. And it doesn’t actually help kids.”

The White House has already thrown an early pitch: President Trump, known for favoring bold executive gestures, recently signed an order aimed at clearing away conflicting state laws in favor of one nationwide standard. It’s an unusual moment of clarity in an otherwise chaotic political year, and seasoned analysts spot an electoral opening for Republicans if they seize the legislative momentum before midterms. “Don’t mire this in a debate over the rest of tech regulation,” one strategist told me. “Get the kids’ protections done. Fast.”

In the throes of a bitterly divided era, consensus like this doesn’t just materialize. But here it is. Parents, industry leaders, and a striking slice of voters are all reading from the same playbook, even if for different reasons. The challenge, as ever in Washington, is whether lawmakers can convert this rare unity into real safeguards — before another family becomes a cautionary headline.

There’s a sense of the clock ticking. And after years of gridlock on every imaginable issue, it feels different this time. It’s as though the country has handed its leaders an urgent, flashing mandate. The stories already told are reminder enough. The goal now: act, and make sure there are no more.

The debate over how best to shield America’s children from the shadowy edges of artificial intelligence is suddenly everywhere — and, for once, it’s not just the usual suspects raising alarms. Step into any suburban kitchen or busy school pick-up line these days, and chances are you’ll overhear an anxious conversation about kids, screens, and the latest digital scare. It’s a rare thread pulling together parents across party lines.New polling drives the point home: according to research out of FabrizioWard, more than eight in ten registered voters say they want Congress to act — decisively, and soon. That’s not your typical split electorate. The dangers worrying parents and voters alike have gotten both more vivid and much harder to brush aside. The stories pile up — a mother in Ohio recounting her daughter’s spiral into anxiety after stumbling across deepfake images, a father in Florida bewildered by his son’s obsession with algorithm-fueled social feeds that never seem to end.Sen. Katie Britt has become a familiar face on this front. The Alabama lawmaker, who often mentions her teenagers back home, isn’t shy about sharing how personal this battle feels for her. During a recent sit-down on CNN, Britt cut through the political theatrics with a blunt question: “How many families are going to have to come to Capitol Hill, begging Congress to act, before something actually changes?” She’s talked openly about late-night conversations with other parents and tries, sometimes unsuccessfully, to keep Congressional focus on real harm, not hypothetical tech futures.Tech companies, meanwhile, insist they’re rolling out new parental controls, but Britt and many other critics argue business interests still take top billing. There’s frustration — almost fatigue — among parents who’ve watched wave after wave of industry promises fade into loopholes and opt-out forms buried deep in settings menus. “If these companies wanted to, they could get ahead of this,” Britt remarked in a recent hearing, expressing a sentiment that lands with exhausted parents everywhere.What’s striking is how this anxiety is not marbled with the usual partisan distrust. It’s everywhere — from supporters of Donald Trump in West Virginia to Kamala Harris fans in California’s Bay Area, voters want action now. The polling is crystal clear: protective guardrails for children can’t wait. For many, it’s much less about theoretical threats to free speech or innovation, and far more about preventing another devastating incident. One respondent — a swing-state mother — summed it up succinctly: “I just want my kid safe. And I don’t care who gets credit.”This groundswell is pushing the conversation out of the theoretical and into action. Many Americans aren’t confident that Congress can, or will, act quickly enough. Interestingly, around six in ten voters polled say they’d support the President stepping in with executive orders to create basic safety standards if lawmakers bicker or stall. “Something is better than nothing,” a father in Arizona told me recently, brushing off his own initial misgivings about executive overreach.For the tech sector, federal action is not a threat but a relief. State lawmakers have leapt ahead, each crafting their own rules — a regulatory minefield that’s left Silicon Valley legal teams racing to stay ahead. As one industry analyst noted, “Trying to keep up with a dozen different state laws is basically impossible. And it doesn’t actually help kids.”The White House has already thrown an early pitch: President Trump, known for favoring bold executive gestures, recently signed an order aimed at clearing away conflicting state laws in favor of one nationwide standard. It’s an unusual moment of clarity in an otherwise chaotic political year, and seasoned analysts spot an electoral opening for Republicans if they seize the legislative momentum before midterms. “Don’t mire this in a debate over the rest of tech regulation,” one strategist told me. “Get the kids’ protections done. Fast.”In the throes of a bitterly divided era, consensus like this doesn’t just materialize. But here it is. Parents, industry leaders, and a striking slice of voters are all reading from the same playbook, even if for different reasons. The challenge, as ever in Washington, is whether lawmakers can convert this rare unity into real safeguards — before another family becomes a cautionary headline.There’s a sense of the clock ticking. And after years of gridlock on every imaginable issue, it feels different this time. It’s as though the country has handed its leaders an urgent, flashing mandate. The stories already told are reminder enough. The goal now: act, and make sure there are no more.