SCHUMER, STANDING WITH UPSTATE NY PARENTS, TEACHERS, AND CHILDREN’S ADVOCATES, CALLS ON HOUSE TO STOP DELAYS & IMMEDIATELY PASS LANDMARK BIPARTISAN BILL TO PROTECT NY KIDS & TEENS FROM HARMS OF INTERNET & SOCIAL MEDIA

Schumer Worked Tirelessly With NY Parents To Gain Robust Bipartisan Support Of 91-3 To Pass The Kids Online Safety Act And COPPA 2.0 In The Senate, Biggest Federal Tech Regulations In Decades, But Bill Has Languished In The House

With Recent Reporting Saying House Leadership Does Not Plan To Bring Senate Bill For A Vote – Senator Says That Is Not Acceptable And Demands Action

Schumer: House Must Bring The Senate Legislation To A Vote To Protect CNY Kids & Teens From The Harmful Effects Of The Internet And Social Media

Standing at Pine Grove Middle School united with parents, teachers, students, and advocates, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer today called on the U.S. House of Representatives to stop delays and immediately pass the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) and the Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA 2.0), which he led to overwhelming bipartisan passage in the Senate with over 90 votes.

Schumer explained these bipartisan bills represent some of the most robust federal tech reforms for children in decades, and will institute a set of safeguards, accountability, and privacy measures that shield children in New York and across the country from the harms associated with social media companies and other online platforms. Amid reports the House will not bring forward this lifesaving legislation, Schumer is leading the charge in pushing the House to act and bring forth the Senate passed bill for a vote immediately to protect the safety of our kids online.

“With our kids spending more and more of their lives online, ensuring their safety in today’s world means that ensuring their online safety is more important than ever, as we work to protect kids from rampant online bullying, exploitation and other risks to their mental health, social wellbeing and academic success. I’ve met with countless families from New York, including right here in Central NY and the North Country, and across the United States who have endured unimaginable pain and who are fighting to make sure what happened to their child doesn't happen to others. The Senate acted, and working with these parents, teachers, and advocates, passed legislation to put our children first and protect them from the dangers of the internet and social media. Now, it’s time for the House to do its job and pass these bills ASAP to protect our children online,” said Senator Schumer. “KOSA and COPPA 2.0 will perhaps be the most important updates to federal laws protecting kids on the internet in decades, helping ban targeted advertising aimed at kids, providing kids and parents with tools to protect their data, giving families more options to manage and disconnect from online platforms, and more. The House must stop delays and pass the landmark bipartisan bills the Senate passed earlier this summer immediately to keep our kids safe. This legislation would do so much good for millions of families across the country, and the overwhelming bipartisan support in the Senate shows it is ready to come for a vote in the House as soon as they return.”

Schumer has been a leading advocate for kids’ online safety and for months worked to overcome issues, senators blocking the bill, and updating the legislation. After working tirelessly to secure bipartisan support, Schumer announced earlier this summer that he helped secure an agreement to pass both KOSA and COPPA 2.0, ultimately ushering them to passage in the Senate by a vote of 91 to 3. Shortly after the Senate acted, reports emerged that the House did not plan to bring the just passed Senate bills for a vote. Schumer said enough is enough, we are running out of time and the House of Representatives needs to pass the bills so that the President can sign them into law as soon as possible. The Senator highlighted that any further delay risked all the hard work he and the parents have done for months going to waste.

Schumer added, “We’ve secured overwhelming support for these bills from members of both parties. There is simply no excuse to delay passage of this legislation. We need the House to bring forward this critically important legislation immediately and without changes. Any further delay risks all the hard work these parents have done. The moment to act has arrived.”

“The internet is a powerful tool and a highway that shapes the lives of Central New York's youth, but it also poses risks if not navigated with care. For students under 17, understanding the importance of Internet safety is crucial to protect their well-being and future in an increasingly digital world. We thank Senator Schumer for his leadership in keeping the online safety of our students at the forefront,” said Dr. Donna DeSiato, Superintendent, East Syracuse Minoa Central School District.

“On behalf of Helio Health and the community we serve, thank you Senator Schumer for your hard work in support of the Kids Online Safety Act and the Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act. Through our Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic, including our 20 School Based Clinics, Helio Health served 2,161 individuals under age 18 in 2023 alone. We are witnessing firsthand the harmful effects of social media activity including bullying, peer pressure and negative self-image. We need to make every effort to protect our young people from the harms of social media. Alongside the Senator, I stress the importance of prioritizing the mental health of our young people through the passage of KOSA and COPPA 2.0,” said Kathleen Gaffney-Babb, President & CEO of Helio Health.

The Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) will create more requirements for platforms to create a safe online environment for kids and teens. The bipartisan bill will:

• Require platforms to give kids and teens the option to protect their data and opt out of algorithmic recommendations.
• Allow parents to control how their kids’ information is used and require platforms to create a dedicated channel to report harmful behavior.
• Obligate platforms to prevent and mitigate dangers to minors by limiting the promotion of harmful behavior such as suicide, eating disorders, substance abuse, and sexual exploitation.
• Require independent audits to research how social media platforms impact kids’ and teens’ mental health and well-being.
• Fosters research regarding harms to the online safety of minors by requiring the National Academies to study the impact of social media on youth.

The Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA 2.0) strengthens online privacy protections for kids and teens. The bipartisan bill builds on the original Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act signed into law in 1998 which created protections for children under the age of 13, and will:

• Prohibit internet companies from collecting data from users under the age of 17 without their consent, increasing the age from COPPA’s legislation.
• Ban advertising that targets kids and teens.
• Revise the requirement established in COPPA that obligates platforms to protect kids and teens if they have “actual knowledge” of their age, instead covering all platforms that are “reasonably likely to be used” by kids and teens.
• Require companies to allow the deletion of data for kids and teens when possible by creating an “eraser button.”

The U.S. Surgeon General released an advisory about the impact of social media on youth mental health. The advisory revealed that youth who spend more than three hours each day on social media are twice as likely to experience poor mental health outcomes such as depression and anxiety, which is concerning because a study from 2021 showed that 77% of high school students in NYC spend an average of three or more hours each day in front of screens on school days. According to the Surgeon General’s advisory, 46% of youth said that social media makes them feel worse and 95% of young people reported using a social media platform, with more than one-third saying they used social media constantly. In addition, the report said that social media use is related to poor sleep quality, body dissatisfaction, disordered eating behaviors, social comparison, and low self-esteem.  A Wall Street Journal investigation showed that TikTok was showing minors hundreds of videos about drug use, and at least 20 children died as a result of an online social media challenge between Spring 2021 and Fall 2022. These experiences demonstrate the harmful impacts of social media on kids and teens and highlight the need for stronger legislation like what the Senate just passed.

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