Blackburn, Blumenthal Celebrate Senate Passage of the Bipartisan Kids Online Safety Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) celebrated the Senate passage of the bipartisan Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) - the first major reform to the tech industry since 1998.

"Today, the Senate took a major step forward in protecting children online by passing the bipartisan Kids Online Safety Act," said Senator Blackburn. "This legislation provides young people and parents with the tools, safeguards, and transparency they need to protect against online harms. I want to thank Senator Blumenthal for his excellent partnership, along with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Commerce Committee Chairwoman Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), and Ranking Member Ted Cruz (R-Texas) for helping us carry this across the finish line in the Senate. I also appreciate our House champions for pushing this legislation. The Senate passage of KOSA could not have been possible without the support of the over 240 organizations lined up behind this legislation and the hundreds of parents that have flown to Washington on their own dime to lobby Congress and push this legislation forward. The 91 Senators from across the political spectrum that stood up to Big Tech and voted in favor of this legislation have helped save countless innocent lives from being exploited online."

"This moving and historic day marks a major win for our children. Anyone who doubted whether we'd reach this milestone has never met our advocates - the parents who have lost children and the young people who refused to be treated like Big Tech piggy banks," said Senator Blumenthal. "Through their shared grief, these families worked with grit and grace to be some of the most dedicated and devoted advocates my colleagues have ever seen. I am deeply grateful to Senators Schumer and McConnell for moving the Kids Online Safety Act through the Senate and to Chair Cantwell and Ranking Member Cruz for their leadership on the Commerce Committee. We are excited now to work with our champions in the House of Representatives. I am confident that the support of our large, diverse, determined coalition will get this bill across the finish line. It will be the first internet safety reform in nearly three decades - a resounding bipartisan achievement showing democracy still works."

BACKGROUND:

• Senators Blackburn and Blumenthal first introduced the Kids Online Safety Act in February 2022 following reporting by the Wall Street Journal and after spearheading a series of five subcommittee hearings with social media companies and advocates on the repeated failures by tech giants to protect kids on their platforms.

• KOSA will require platforms to enable the strongest privacy settings by default, force platforms to prevent and mitigate specific dangers to minors, provide parents and educators new controls to help protect children, and require independent audits and research into social media companies.

• Click here to learn more about KOSA and here for a list of some of the 240+ organizations that have endorsed the bill.

RELATED:

• What They Are Saying: Championing Senate Passage of the Kids Online Safety Act

https://www.blackburn.senate.gov/2024/7/blackburn-blumenthal-celebrate-senate-passage-of-the-bipartisan-kids-online-safety-act