Statement on Passage of the Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA 2.0) and Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA)

SAN FRANCISCO, July 27, 2022– Today, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation approved two significant pieces of bipartisan legislation that, if passed by Congress, would improve protections for children's online privacy and safety. Jim Steyer, founder and CEO of Common Sense Media, a national leader on the health and safety of kids and teens online, issued the following statement. The bills approved by the Committee are The Children and Teens' Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA 2.0) and Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), both of which Common Sense strongly supports.

"By providing minors under the age of 17 with important new protections that are long overdue, these two bills, especially when considered together, hold social media platforms accountable for how they impact young users. Both bills have bipartisan support and deserve to be approved by Congress this year while the momentum for action remains strong.

"COPPA 2.0 improves the federal children's online privacy law that hasn't been updated since the last century, well before Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, and TikTok became a part of our children's everyday lives. The bill extends privacy protections to teens, minimizes the amount of data companies can collect from our children, and prohibits companies from using that data for behavioral and targeted marketing toward children. Meanwhile, KOSA would require platforms to put the interests of minors first and provide children and parents with additional safeguards and tools to protect children from online harms.

"We applaud COPPA 2.0 and KOSA sponsors Senators Markey, Cassidy, Blumenthal, and Blackburn, and the other members of the Senate Commerce Committee, for prioritizing the safety and wellbeing of kids online. For Common Sense, no other issue has been more important. We will continue to be deeply involved in efforts to protect the privacy and the online health of kids and teens everywhere."

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