WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) and Ed Markey (D-MA) along with U.S. Representatives Tim Walberg (R-MI-05) and Representative Kathy Castor (D-FL-14) today announced the introduction of the House companion to the Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA 2.0).
In July 2023, the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee unanimously passed COPPA 2.0. In February 2024, Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Ted Cruz (R-TX), the Chair and Ranking Member of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, agreed to cosponsor COPPA 2.0.
“Rules from over 25 years ago for social media sites that did not even exist at the time are not equipped to keep children and teenagers safe online. Glad to see the House introduce COPPA 2.0 to give parents peace of mind and prohibit internet companies from collecting personal information on young teenagers without consent,” said Dr. Cassidy.
“The introduction of the House companion to COPPA 2.0 is a critical moment for kids, teens, and parents across the country,” said Senator Markey. “This bipartisan, bicameral bill has been intensely vetted and commands broad ideological support. This is the time to pass online privacy legislation for kids and teens and stand up to the Big Tech oligarchs who continue to track and target young people online. We have never been closer to the finish line, and I will not stop until COPPA 2.0 is the law of the land.”
“Children and teens are facing unprecedented pressure and manipulation online, resulting in a youth mental health crisis,” said Representative Walberg. “It is very clear that online platforms’ data practices meaningfully contribute to this alarming trend. Since COPPA’s enactment in 1998, we’ve seen the Internet landscape change dramatically many times over. Along with these changes are emerging and evolving privacy risks targeting our children. It’s time we strengthen and modernize the law to better protect our most vulnerable. I want to thank Representative Castor, Sen. Markey, and Senator Cassidy for their leadership on this issue and I look forward to advancing it in the House.”
“For many years, I’ve called out the manipulative and dark practices of Big Tech platforms and sounded the alarm about incessant surveillance and the tracking of young people,” said Representative Castor. “COPPA 2.0 builds upon current law to strengthen protections related to the online collection, use and disclosure of personal information of children and minors up to age 16. This bill will address the excessive collection and surveillance of youth, ban harmful targeted advertising and prompt Big Tech platforms to provide young people and parents with the tools needed to navigate the online world.”
COPPA 2.0 modernizes and strengthens the only online privacy law for children, the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). Congress passed COPPA in 1998 to institute basic privacy protections for users under age 13, including notice and parental consent requirements. While COPPA took major steps towards safeguarding children’s personal information on the internet, the law is overdue for an update in light of major changes in the online landscape. In particular, COPPA 2.0 would:
- Build on COPPA by prohibiting internet companies from collecting personal information from users who are 13 to 16 years old without their consent;
- Ban targeted advertising to children and teens;
- Revise COPPA’s “actual knowledge” standard to close the loophole that allows covered platforms to ignore kids and teens on their site;
- Create an “Eraser Button” by requiring companies to permit users to eliminate personal information from a child or teen when technologically feasible; and
- Establish data minimization rules to prohibit the excessive collection of children and teens’ data.
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