MADISON– Governor Tony Evers signed two bills into law related to protecting kids online: 2025 Assembly Bill 957 and 2025 Assembly Bill 958. Together these bipartisan bills authorize and fund four additional full-time positions within DOJ: two Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) criminal analysts, one ICAC outreach specialist, and one ICAC digital evidence examiner. Rep. Robyn Vining (D-Wauwatosa) co-sponsored both of these bills and released the following statement: 

“As the elected adults who have been entrusted to represent Wisconsin children and families in the state legislature, it is our job to ensure that kids are protected–especially in a digital age with rapidly changing technology.

“The risks of spending more time online have become clear: exposure to explicit content, increased social isolation, and poor mental health outcomes have been linked to social media use, and we have also seen a concerning rise in internet crimes against children. It is important that we as a legislature act to protect kids online, which is why I am proud to co-sponsor 2025 Assembly Bill 957 & 958 and commend Governor Evers for signing them into law.   

“I am also proud to co-sponsor the following additional bills from the Protecting Kids Task Force and am hopeful we can work together to take additional steps to protect kids online: 

  • Age-Appropriate Design Code: Establishes a clear and enforceable framework to protect minors on line by requiring digital platforms to build privacy and safety into their products from the start (2025 Assembly Bill 1161 / 2025 Senate Bill 978)
  • Social Media Education: Increases funding and provides resources for the Family Foundations home visitation program to provide parental education on healthy social media practices (2025 Assembly Bill 967 / 2025 Senate Bill 968)
  • Mental Health Warnings: Requires social media platforms to provide mental health warnings and providing a penalty (2025 Assembly Bill 960 / 2025 Assembly Bill 933)

“I am committed to protecting Wisconsin’s kids and look forward to continuing to work with both sides of the aisle so we can move forward, together.” 

Rep. Vining represents the 13th Assembly District, which includes Elm Grove, and parts of Wauwatosa and Brookfield. For more information visit Rep. Vining’s website here.