WASHINGTON – The Advocate reported on the recent passage of historic legislation to protect children and teens online authored by U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA).
“The U.S. Senate on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved a historic package of restrictions — co-sponsored by a Louisiana senator — that cracks down on how social media companies interact with children and teenagers,” wrote the Advocate.
“‘The internet is an integral part of children’s lives today. It is time our laws reflect this new reality,’ said Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-Baton Rouge. ‘These bills provide parents the tools to safeguard their kids online.’ … He was one of the two main sponsors for the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, called COPPA 2.0. Along with expanding existing parental consents on data collection, COPPA 2.0 bans advertising targeted at youth,” continued the Advocate.
“Cassidy also was a co-sponsor of Kids Online Safety Act, or KOSA, which would require online platforms to take reasonable steps to prevent harm to users,” added the Advocate. “The bills arose as parents began questioning the connection between online usage and increased suicide and other anti-social behavior among their children.”
Read the full article here.
Background
Last week, the Senate overwhelmingly passed Cassidy’s Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA 2.0) and the Kids Online Safety Act by a vote of 91 to 3. Learn more here.
COPPA 2.0 would update online data privacy rules for the 21st century to ensure children and teenagers are protected online. It 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.
COPPA 2.0 is supported by over 100 organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Federation of Teachers, American Psychological Association, Center for Digital Democracy, Common Sense Media, Design It For Us, Eating Disorders Coalition for Research, Policy, & Action, Fairplay, National Education Association, National Parent Teacher Association, and U.S. PIRG.
Cassidy is also an original cosponsor of the Kids Online Safety Act, comprehensive bipartisan legislation to protect children online and hold Big Tech accountable. In February 2024, it was announced that over 60 senators had joined in cosponsoring the legislation. He has also highlighted the need to protect children’s online privacy and address the youth mental health crisis.
###