Contact: Sam Garin ([email protected])
Statement of parent advocates on the advancement of the Kids Online Safety Act and the Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act
BOSTON, MA —Thursday, July 27, 2023 —Today, the Senate Commerce Committee voted to advance the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) and the Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA 2.0) to a full floor vote.
Please see below for statements from survivor parents who have tirelessly advocated for online safety legislation over the past 18 months, including meeting with dozens of congressional offices and securing the support of many senators.
“It is very promising that KOSA and COPPA 2.0 have finally passed through the Senate Commerce Committee,” said Joann Bogard, whose 15-year-old son Mason died after he participated in a challenge he’d seen on YouTube called the Choking Game. “This brings American children one step closer to being sufficiently protected online. I anxiously await the rest of Congress to do the same and move these bills forward. Passing them into law will provide the online protections that all children deserve.”
Kristin Bride, whose son Carson was 16 when he died by suicide after vicious cyberbullying on anonymous apps connected to Snapchat, said, “I am thrilled that KOSA and COPPA 2.0 have passed out of the Senate Commerce Committee today. Parents need help from Congress to create responsible safeguards for social media companies that continue to profit from designing addictive products that deteriorate our children’s mental health. I look forward to seeing KOSA and COPPA 2.0 brought to the Senate floor in September so that we can finally pass federal legislation designed to keep America’s children safer online.”
“I am delighted that KOSA (S. 1409) and COPPA 2.0 (S. 1418) were voted out of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee today,” said Maurine Molak, whose son David died by suicide at the age of 16 after months of cyberbullying. “I want to personally thank my Senator, Ranking Member Ted Cruz, and the rest of the members of the committee for their dedication to provide parents with tools to protect their children online and guard their mental health, ultimately saving young lives. We are now counting on the rest of Congress to follow suit and push these key pieces of legislation over the finish line before year end.”
“I am so grateful to Chair Cantwell, and members of the Senate Commerce Committee, for voting in favor of KOSA and COPPA 2.0, two bills that if enacted will save countless young lives,” said Deb Schmill, whose daughter, Becca, died at 18 of fentanyl poisoning from drugs she and a friend purchased from a dealer they used Facebook to find. “This vote is an important benchmark in what could be an historic year for protecting America’s children from serious online harms. I hope other parents will join me in contacting their members of Congress to voice their expectation that KOSA and COPPA 2.0 are passed in 2023.”
###