Congress Should Pass KOSA and COPPA 2.0 to Provide Protections for Kids Online

LOS ANGELES (July 26, 2023) – The Parents Television and Media Council (PTC) said that Congress should pass two measures to better protect children: the Kids Online Safety Act and Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA 2.0).

The Kids Online Safety Act is designed to hold social media companies accountable and establish a duty of care for protecting children online. The Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act expands privacy protections to teens and for children under age 13.

“Children are up against powerful social media algorithms that promote harmful content to them and companies that seek to prey upon children’s privacy for their financial gain. Congress must act to better protect children online by passing both KOSA and COPPA 2.0,” said Melissa Henson, vice president, Parents Television and Media Council.

“The U.S. Surgeon General has warned about the mental health crisis of America’s youth and about the harm social media can have on them. There is no doubt that children are vulnerable to influences they see online, and the impact of that content can be life-threatening. Congress must take action to help stem the tide of harm facing our children.”

In November 2022, the PTC revealed that Hollywood is marketing teen-targeted TV shows with explicit adult content to young teens through social media sites popular with 13-17-year-olds, thereby doing an end-run around parents.