July 30, 2024

Manchin Votes To Protect Kids Online

Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (I-WV) voted to pass the Kids Online Safety and Privacy Act, a bipartisan legislative package that contains two bills cosponsored by Senator Manchin, the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) and the Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act. This commonsense package prioritizes young Americans’ safety and privacy online by making vital updates to data privacy rules, while also providing parents and educators with the tools and transparency needed to shield children and teens from the negative impacts of social media.

“We must stand together to protect our children’s well-being from the profound risks of the Internet and social media. I proudly voted for the Kids Online Safety and Privacy Act, which includes much-needed updates to data privacy rules and protections for children and teens on the Internet,” said Senator Manchin. “This package includes two pieces of legislation I cosponsored and I truly believe it will hold social media companies more accountable and provide parents with important resources to safeguard their children against dangerous and unregulated online content. I encourage House leadership to swiftly bring our bipartisan legislation to the floor and I will continue doing everything I can to see it across the finish line.”

“Health providers in West Virginia are so grateful for our elected leaders’ support of the Kids Online Safety Act. This legislation provides guardrails for social media algorithms to promote safer online spaces for our kids. We are especially thrilled that KOSA will reduce the negative impacts of social media on mental health problems like mood disorders, eating disorders, suicidal thoughts, bullying, and substance use,” said Dr. Jess Luzier, Clinical Director of the Disordered Eating Center of Charleston, Professor at WVU School of Medicine, and Clinical Psychologist at CAMC Department of Behavioral Medicine.

The Kids Online Safety and Privacy Act:

  • Requires social media platforms to provide minors with options to protect their information, disable addictive product features, and opt out of algorithmic recommendations. Requires platforms to enable the strongest settings by default.
  • Prohibits internet companies from collecting personal information from users who are 13 to 16 years old without their consent, and bans targeted advertising to children and teens.
  • Gives parents new controls to help support their children and identify harmful behaviors, and provides parents and educators with a dedicated channel to report harms.

Requires social media platforms to prevent and mitigate harms to minors, including any promotion of self-harm, suicide, eating disorders, substance abuse, sexual exploitation, and advertisement of unlawful products to minors (e.g. gambling and alcohol).