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

Social media platforms stand to make billions profiting off advertising revenue from children’s and teens’ data

U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, called on House Republican Leadership to end their blockade of kids privacy legislation following a statement today by Speaker Mike Johnson. The widely supported, bipartisan Kids Online Safety and Privacy Act (KOSPA) package would protect children from increasing harms caused by social media. It overwhelmingly passed the Senate, 91-3, in July.

“The urgency to protect our kids online doesn’t change depending on who is in the White House. The Senate acted by a vote of 91 to 3 and parents have been waiting long enough. The House should act accordingly,” said Sen. Cantwell.

Just last week, Sen. Cantwell, joined by Sens. Cruz, Markey, Cassidy, Blumenthal and Blackburn, wrote to the House leaders urging them to stand up for kids and stop putting tech companies first.

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.