Sen. Kennedy files bill in North Carolina Senate to enhance online child safety

A new bill filed by Sen. Kennedy seeks to improve digital safety for minors through the creation of dedicated safety divisions and regulations on online platforms, according to the North Carolina State Senate.

The bill, filed as SB 722 on March 25 during the 2025 regular session, was formally listed with the short title: ‘Children’s Online Safety Act/Funds.’

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, this bill establishes measures to protect children online in North Carolina by creating an Online Safety Division within the Department of Justice and a Cyberbullying Unit at the State Bureau of Investigation. It also forms the Online Child Safety Commission to oversee digital safety for minors. The bill enforces parental controls and prohibits manipulative dark patterns on platforms with over 5 million users or $25 million in revenue in North Carolina. Platforms must ensure high privacy standards, limit data collection, avoid profiling, and provide children the “Right to be Forgotten.” Violations can result in fines up to $500,000. The bill appropriates $5 million for fiscal year 2025-26 and $4.5 million for 2026-27 to fund these initiatives, with an effective date of July 1, 2025, for most provisions.

Of the three sponsors of this bill, Terence Everitt proposed the most bills (50) during the 2025 regular session.

Bills in North Carolina follow a multi-step process before becoming law. A lawmaker starts by filing a bill, which is assigned to a committee for review. The bill must be read three times in each chamber. If one chamber changes the bill after the other passes it, both must agree on the final version. Once both chambers approve the same bill, it goes to the governor, who has 10 days (or 30 if the legislature is not in session) to sign, veto, or let it become law without a signature.

You can read more about the bills and other measures here.

Garrett graduated from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 2007 with a BSBA.

Garrett, a Democrat, was elected to the North Carolina State Senate in 2019 to represent the state’s 27th Senate district, replacing previous state senator Trudy Wade.