Microsoft calls for child safety exceptions in U.S. federal AI legislation
Microsoft wants the protection of minors to fall outside the scope of the federal law that could override state AI regulations. The stance breaks with Google and Meta and echoes its support for the 2024 Kids Online Safety Act.
By Bloomberg Law · June 25, 2026.
Microsoft has publicly called for child safety to be excluded from the scope of the future federal legislation that would regulate artificial intelligence models in the United States and that, if enacted, could block or replace existing state AI laws. The statement was made by Suhail Khan, Senior Director of External Affairs at Microsoft, during a panel held at an event on children's privacy aimed at Congressional advisers and private sector representatives.
Khan specified that Microsoft supports the so-called 'preemption language' in federal legislation—that is, the primacy of the federal rule over regional or state ones—but stressed that 'there must be exceptions for children's safety and child protections, including at the state level.' With this, the company seeks to preserve the ability of states to pass and enforce their own rules when it comes to protecting minors from the risks of AI, even if federal law establishes a common framework for all other areas.
This stance is not new for Microsoft: the company already distanced itself from Meta, Google and other big tech companies by supporting a 2024 version of the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), a legislative proposal that generated controversy in the sector for its implications for content moderation and platforms' liability for the harms suffered by minors online.
The underlying debate is the tug-of-war between unified federal regulation and the proliferation of state AI laws. Several states—among them California, Colorado and Illinois—have passed or have in progress their own regulations on high-risk AI systems, algorithmic transparency and data protection. The technology industry in general prefers a single federal law that simplifies regulatory compliance, but the case of child safety introduces a political and social variable that complicates that consensus.
The full article is behind a paywall and the available material does not allow for further expansion on the details of Microsoft's position or the arguments presented at the panel. Nevertheless, the published information suggests that the company will try to influence the legislative process so that any federal preemption law incorporates specific safeguard clauses for minors, a position that could gain traction given the bipartisan political consensus that usually surrounds online child safety issues in the U.S. Congress.