Schumer urges passage of two bills to promote online safety for children

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Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer visited Pine Grove Middle School in East Syracuse on Tuesday, where he urged the House of Representatives to take action on two bipartisan bills aimed at improving children’s online safety, according to a Tuesday press release.

Schumer met with members of the Syracuse community to discuss the Kids Online Safety Act and the Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act, both of which are designed to increase the safety of children and teens on the internet and social media. A package of the two bills passed the Senate on July 30 by a vote of 91-3, but has since stalled in the House, the press release said.

“As our children spend more and more of their lives online, ensuring their safety in today’s world means that ensuring their online safety is more important than ever,” Schumer said in Tuesday’s press release. “The House must end the delays and immediately pass the historic bipartisan legislation the Senate passed earlier this summer to keep our children safe.”

The bill previously faced similar delays in the Senate due to opposition from outside parties, including the American Civil Liberties Union, and senators, who said the bill’s language was too broad. After the July vote, the bill’s three opponents — Sens. Mike Lee, Rand Paul and Ron Wyden — argued that the legislation could potentially be weaponized to promote censorship.

KOSA would require additional data transparency measures for social media companies, including the ability for children and teens to protect their data, opt out of algorithmic recommendations, and give parents the ability to control how platforms use their children’s data, the press release said.

The bill would also require social media to conduct independent audits of the platforms’ impact on the mental health of young users, the release said. Platforms would also be required to limit the promotion of content that depicts harmful behavior, including eating disorders, substance abuse and sexual exploitation.

COPPA 2.0, an overhaul of the more than two-decade-old COPPA law, would prohibit companies from collecting data from users under 17 without their consent, ban advertising targeted to this demographic, and require social media companies to add a data-clear button for child users of their platforms, the press release said.

The old COPPA law protected users under the age of 13 from data collection without parental consent. In 2013, COPPA was amended to accommodate the growing use of social media among minors, expanding the scope of what counts as “personal information” for data collection purposes. The new/updated law would also expand jurisdiction to cover all platforms that all teens are likely to use, the press release said.

According to a 2023 advisory issued by U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, 46% of people ages 13 to 17 reported that social media makes them feel worse. Data suggests that these platforms can lead to feelings of “body dissatisfaction, disordered eating, social comparison, and low self-esteem,” the advisory’s summary states.

“We have received overwhelming support for these bills from members of both parties,” Schumer said Tuesday. “We need the House to move forward with this critically important legislation immediately and without amendment. Any further delay jeopardizes all the hard work these parents are doing. The time to act is now.”

The House of Representatives, which reconvenes on Sept. 9, has not yet scheduled a vote on the two bills, syracuse.com reported.