Washington D.C. – U.S. Senators Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), and Edward Markey (D-Mass.) have introduced the Children and Teen’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA 2.0) to update online data privacy laws and enhance protections for children and teenagers. The proposed legislation aims to address concerns over data collection practices and their potential impact on youth mental health.
Senator Britt emphasized the importance of safeguarding children in the digital age, linking social media usage to the ongoing youth mental health crisis. “Keeping American families safe includes keeping our kids safe on the internet. Our country is in the throes of a mental health crisis, and the rise of social media usage among children and teenagers is inextricably tied to this problem,” Britt stated.
COPPA 2.0 seeks to prohibit targeted advertising directed at minors and introduces an “Eraser Button,” allowing children and teenagers to delete personal information collected by online platforms. Additionally, the legislation establishes stricter data minimization standards to prevent the excessive collection of personal information and closes existing legal loopholes that permit platforms to overlook young users.
Senator Cassidy highlighted the necessity of ensuring internet safety for children. “Every kid has an iPad or smartphone. They’re going to use the internet. Parents should be confident they can do it safely,” he said. “COPPA 2.0 is the tool that will give parents the peace of mind they need and keep their children’s personal information secure.”
The legislation also seeks to extend protections to teenagers by requiring online platforms to obtain explicit consent before collecting personal data from users aged 13 to 16. Senator Markey, a longstanding advocate for online privacy protections, underscored the need for legislative action. “We need strong modern legislation that keeps pace with the ever-evolving digital landscape and creates a safer online environment by addressing the youth mental health crisis and protecting the personal information of our kids,” he stated.
Britt has been a vocal proponent of increasing online safety measures and has supported additional bipartisan legislation to regulate social media companies. In a recent Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism hearing, she expressed concerns about the lack of age verification enforcement by social media platforms. She pointed out that while platforms set age restrictions, they often do not verify user ages, making these restrictions ineffective.
During the hearing, John Pizzuro, CEO of the advocacy organization Raven, discussed the importance of device-based age verification to protect children from online exploitation. Britt supported the notion, arguing that tech companies already have the necessary data to implement such protections but have yet to take adequate action.
Additionally, Britt introduced the Kids Off Social Media Act, which proposes setting a minimum age of 13 for social media usage and restricting algorithmically targeted content for users under 17. This legislation recently passed the Senate Commerce Committee and is awaiting consideration by the full Senate.
COPPA 2.0 represents a significant bipartisan effort to modernize online privacy protections for young users and address growing concerns about the intersection of social media and youth mental health. The bill now awaits further legislative action as Congress debates its potential implementation.
