Amidst Youth Mental Health Crisis Fueled by Big Tech, Senator Markey’s Online Child Privacy Legislation Passes U.S. Senate

WATCH: Senator Markey floor remarks on COPPA 2.0 Passage

Washington (July 30, 2024) - Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee and original House author of the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), celebrated the 91-3 Senate passage of his bipartisan, bicameral Children and Teens' Online Privacy Protection Act 2.0 (COPPA 2.0), which would update online data privacy rules for the 21st century and ensure children and teenagers are protected online. Senator Markey first introduced this legislation to update his original COPPA law in 2011 as a member of the House of Representatives and has introduced the bipartisan legislation in every Congress since.

Below is an excerpt of his remarks today on the U.S. Senate floor:

"With this vote, the U.S. Senate will finally send a message to Big Tech that the days of indiscriminately tracking and targeting children and teens are over. That their privacy-invasive business model must change. That young people and their parents are more important than their shareholder's bank accounts. This vote is long overdue...

"With COPPA 2.0, here's what privacy means. Privacy means an end to the manipulative personalized ads that trick young people into purchasing unwanted goods and services.

Privacy means stopping a search engine or social media site from collecting a teenager's eye color or location for no reason. Privacy means giving teens the right to delete a social media post, so a youthful mistake doesn't last forever. Most importantly, privacy means a fighting chance for parents and young people who are struggling against trillion-dollar platforms looking for every last way to keep kids and teens on their app.

"I am deeply grateful for Leader Schumer, Chair Cantwell, Ranking Member Cruz, and, my partner, Senator Cassidy for their support in advancing COPPA 2.0. It has been a true bipartisan effort to get this done."

Specifically, COPPA 2.0 would

• Ban targeted advertising to children and teens;
• Prohibit platforms from collecting personal information from users who are 13 to 16 years old without their consent;
• Revise COPPA's "actual knowledge" standard to close the loophole that allows platforms to ignore kids and teens on their site;
• Create an "Eraser Button" that allows for children and teens to delete their personal information; and
• Establish data minimization rules to prohibit the excessive collection of children and teens' data.

COPPA 2.0 is supported by more than 100 organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Federation of Teachers, American Psychological Association, Center for Digital Democracy, Common Sense Media, Design It For Us, Eating Disorders Coalition for Research, Policy, & Action, Fairplay, National Education Association, National Parent Teacher Association, and U.S. PIRG.

In April 2024, Representative Tim Walberg (MI-05) and Representative Kathy Castor (FL-14) introduced the House companion to COPPA 2.0. In February 2024, Senators Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas), the Chair and Ranking Member of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, agreed to cosponsor COPPA 2.0. In July 2023, the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee unanimously passed COPPA 2.0.

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