Wisconsin Assembly Bill 962 offers constitutionally troubling approach to online youth safety

A version of the following public comment was submitted to the Wisconsin Assembly Committee on Children & Families on February 5, 2026.

Wisconsin is right to want to protect kids from content inappropriate for their age. Unfortunately, Wisconsin Assembly Bill 962, like many laws introduced in state legislatures across the country, forces all users to hand over their personal information, such as a government-issued ID, or to submit to a biometric facial scan for age verification in order to access online applications and engage in free expression. If parents wish to confirm that their children are using a service with their permission, this bill would still require them to submit their private, sensitive information first. 

AB962’s proposed heavy-handed and constitutionally troubling approach to online youth safety shuts out users seeking to exercise their right to anonymous speech and puts sensitive personal information at risk of theft or hacking. Utah and Texas have passed legislation substantially similar to AB962, resulting in costly legal challenges and doing little to ensure the safety of children online today. 

An alternative that empowers parents, protects rights, and holds companies to account

To that end, Wisconsin would be better served by implementing policies like California’s Assembly Bill 1043 (2025), which relies on parent declarations and age assurance. Instead of requiring all users to submit a government ID or any other invasive form of age verification, this approach allows parents to declare their children’s age category. Once a parent declares their child’s age, this alternative approach would require the app store to send a digital signal to developers. These age signals put app stores and developers on notice that they are dealing with children, and with that notice comes all the legal liability of dealing with children in the offline world. 

Rather than the intrusive, privacy-violating regulations inherent in AB962, Wisconsin should pursue solutions that empower parents, including parent-side tools such as device settings and app control options to protect kids without undermining personal privacy or security.

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