Washington D.C. – U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-Ala.) voted in favor of the Kids Online Safety and Privacy Act, a significant bipartisan effort aimed at safeguarding children and teenagers on social media. The legislation combines key provisions from the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) and the Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA 2.0), both of which Senator Britt cosponsored.
Britt emphasized the importance of this legislation, stating, “Social media presents a very real danger for all Americans, especially children and teenagers. It is past time Congress enact legislation to protect our families and equip parents with substantive tools to help their kids.” She commended Senators Blackburn, Blumenthal, Cassidy, and Markey for their leadership in pushing the bill through the Senate.
The Kids Online Safety and Privacy Act seeks to provide enhanced protections for minors on social media platforms. Key provisions include expanding the protection age to cover individuals under 17, prohibiting targeted ads, limiting the collection and storage of minors’ personal data, and preventing overseas storage of children’s data. The act also restricts the duration for which platforms can store such data and prohibits advertising illegal products to minors.
Additionally, the bill aims to hold social media platforms accountable by mandating reasonable actions to prevent harm to minors, including suicide, substance abuse, and sexual exploitation. It also requires platforms to offer parental control mechanisms, such as limiting screen time and controlling personalized recommendations, and to issue annual public reports based on independent audits of harm to minors.
Parents would be further empowered under the legislation, with social media companies required to provide clear tools and reporting mechanisms to monitor and manage their children’s online activity. This includes specific notifications regarding policies and safeguards at the point of registration.
As the bill now heads to the House of Representatives for consideration, Senator Britt remains committed to the issue of social media safety. Since taking office, Britt has collaborated with both Democrats and Republicans to tackle a broad range of challenges posed by social media. Her ongoing efforts include the Kids Off Social Media Act, which seeks to block children under 13 from creating social media accounts and prevent the use of algorithms for users under 17. She has also worked on the Youth Mental Health Research Act, aiming to establish a national initiative to better understand and address mental health issues among youth.
