WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) announced growing support for the Kids Online Safety Act, with a total of 62 senators now cosponsoring the legislation. Following conversations with stakeholders and colleagues, new bill supporters and several changes have been made to strengthen the legislation and ensure it becomes law. The Kids Online Safety Act would provide kids and parents with better tools to protect themselves online, hold Big Tech accountable for harm to kids, and provide transparency into black box algorithms.
“Parents understand our children are going to spend time online, but the environment should be safe for them to do so,” said Dr. Cassidy. “This legislation will protect our children from watching inappropriate material and individuals with bad intentions.”
“This overwhelming bipartisan support for the Kids Online Safety Act—62 total co-sponsors, Democrats and Republicans—reflects the powerful voices of young people and parents who want Congress to act,” said Senators Blumenthal and Blackburn. “The recent watershed hearing with Big Tech CEOs showcased the urgent need for reform. With new changes to strengthen the bill and growing support, we should seize this moment to take action. We must listen to the kids, parents, experts, and advocates, and finally hold Big Tech accountable by passing the Kids Online Safety Act into law.”
“Children and teens have been subjected to online harassment, bullying, and other harms for far too long. The Kids Online Safety Act will require social media companies to design their products with the safety of kids and teens in mind, provide parents tools to protect their kids and give families more options for managing and disconnecting from these platforms. I look forward to working on a bipartisan basis with Senators Blumenthal and Blackburn to advance this bill in the Senate,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.
“I committed to work with parents, advocates, and the bill sponsors to strengthen the Kids Online Safety Act in the Commerce Committee and help usher this bill into law. This revised text reflects many months of collaboration to craft a strong and balanced bill that does not lose sight of its purpose: to protect our kids online. KOSA demands accountability from online platforms and gives parents the tools to help protect the well-being of their children,” said Senator Cantwell, Chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation.
“Big Tech companies have failed to keep abhorrent and harmful content away from young users or give parents the tools necessary to keep children safe online. The Kids Online Safety Act is a serious and meaningful step toward empowering parents and protecting our kids from toxic content, bullying, sexual predators, and other online threats. Over the past several months, I am proud to have worked with Sens. Blackburn, Blumenthal, and Cantwell to make improvements to this bipartisan legislation so that it is ready for the Senate floor. As the parent of teenagers, I hope my congressional colleagues will come together to pass this legislation to help address the crises of depression and suicide that children across the country are facing in part because of social media,” said Senator Cruz, Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation.
Cassidy, Blumenthal, and Blackburn are joined by U.S. Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Steve Daines (R-MT), Gary Peters (D-MI), Marco Rubio (R-FL), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Todd Young (R-IN), Chris Coons (D-DE), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Mark Warner (D-VA), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Peter Welch (D-VT), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Jim Risch (R-ID), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Katie Britt (R-AL), Bob Casey (D-PA), Rick Scott (R-FL), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Joe Manchin (D-WV), John Cornyn (R-TX), Tom Carper (D-DE), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Ben Cardin (D-MD), James Lankford (R-OK), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), John Thune (R-SD), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Josh Hawley (R-MO) in cosponsoring the legislation, with U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Susan Collins (R-ME), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Mitt Romney (R-UT), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), J.D. Vance (R-OH), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), Laphonza Butler (D-CA), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Angus King (I-ME), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Jack Reed (D-RI), and Kevin Cramer (R-ND) newly cosponsoring the legislation.
The Kids Online Safety Act is strongly supported by a broad coalition of parents who have tragically lost their children or whose kids have been severely harmed by Big Tech, young people who want to regain control over their online lives, and hundreds of advocacy groups and experts who study and see the negative effects of social media firsthand in their communities. The growing group of bill supporters includes the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Nintendo of America, Christian Camp and Conference Association, Microsoft, The Foundation United, Parents for Safe Online Spaces (ParentsSOS), Snap, and Street Grace.
Background
Earlier today, Cassidy announced that U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), Chair and Ranking Member of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, have cosponsored an updated version of their Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA 2.0), which includes small modifications based on conversations with stakeholders and additional technical corrections. COPPA 2.0 unanimously passed the U.S. Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee in July 2023.
In May 2023, Cassidy and Markey reintroduced COPPA 2.0, legislation that would update online data privacy rules for the 21st century to ensure children and teenagers are protected online.
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