COPPA 2.0 and KOSA would finally give parents new tools to protect their kids online & ban targeting online advertising to children under 17

Common sense protections have been stalled in the House for months after passing Senate 91-3

U.S. Senate Commerce Committee Chair Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and Ranking Member Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), and Sens. Edward Markey (D-Mass.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), authors of bipartisan bills to protect children online, wrote to House Republican Leaders urging them to pass the Kids Online Safety and Privacy Act (KOSPA) package before the end of the year. The legislation to protect children from increasing harms caused by social media has languished in the House for months after overwhelmingly passing the Senate, 91-3, in July.

“While the internet and digital tools have helped kids connect with others and the world around them, these benefits have come at a profound cost—our children are experiencing emotional, mental, and physical harm from their use of digital platforms,” the senators wrote in a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson and Majority Leader Steve Scalise. “Studies show the more time youth spend on social media, the greater the risk they will suffer from poor mental health, disordered eating, and diminished sleep quality. These risks are multiplied because social media platforms are designed to be addictive, so that kids will spend more time online.”

The KOSPA package combines two key pieces of legislation. The first is the Markey-Cassidy Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA 2.0), which updates the original COPPA passed in 1998. This legislation bans online companies from collecting personal information from users under 17 years old without their consent and creates an eraser button to eliminate personal information online. The second component is the Blumenthal-Blackburn Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), which provides children and parents with the tools, safeguards and transparency to protect against online harms, establishes a duty of care for online platforms and requires the most protective settings for kids by default.

“KOSPA proves that Congress can set aside politics and act decisively when our children are at stake,” the letter continued. “We ask that you join the 91 United States Senators who put the well-being of our children ahead of tech companies and bring KOSPA to the House floor for a vote.”

Read the letter here and below: 

Dear Speaker Johnson and Leader Scalise:

We write today to state our support for protecting American children from the harms caused by social media and other online platforms. While the internet and digital tools have helped kids connect with others and the world around them, these benefits have come at a profound cost—our children are experiencing emotional, mental, and physical harm from their use of digital platforms.

These are not isolated harms. According to the U.S. Surgeon General, the use of social media among American youth is pervasive, with up to 95 percent of kids aged 13-17 reporting that they use social media, and more than one-third of them use it constantly. Nearly 40 percent of kids aged 8-12 use social media, even though most platforms purportedly do not allow children under 13 to create an account.

Studies show the more time youth spend on social media, the greater the risk they will suffer from poor mental health, disordered eating, and diminished sleep quality. The use of targeted advertising results in kids being shown ads for alcohol, tobacco, diet pills, or gambling sites. These risks are multiplied because social media platforms are designed to be addictive, so that kids will spend more time online.

Federal law protecting children’s privacy has not kept up with technology. Further, current law does not protect the online privacy of teens aged 13-16.

The “Kids Online Safety and Privacy Act” (“KOSPA”) will give parents and kids more tools to avoid harm. And the law will provide a long overdue update to the current Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act. The Senate passed KOSPA by an overwhelming, bipartisan vote of 91-3. KOSPA proves that Congress can set aside politics and act decisively when our children are at stake.

We ask that you join the 91 United States Senators who put the well-being of our children ahead of tech companies and bring KOSPA to the House floor for a vote.

Sincerely,

Senator Maria Cantwell

Senator Ted Cruz

Senator Edward Markey

Senator Bill Cassidy

Senator Richard Blumenthal

Senator Marsha Blackburn