Sen. Chuck Schumer

BY PAUL MITCHELLNorth Country This Week

CANTON – It took a little more than one month for Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to honor a request from 20 families to hold a vote on the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA).

Mary Rodee, a Canton mother who lost her 15-year-old son to suicide after the teenager was targeted online, was included in that letter. Her son, Riley K. Basford, was a sophomore at Potsdam Central School, when he committed suicide in 2021.

Schumer announced Tuesday, July 23, that he will bring bipartisan KOSA and the Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) bills to the floor to create new online safety standards, increase accountability for social media platforms, and strengthen data privacy protections for families.

For months, Schumer has worked alongside parents and advocates to overcome roadblocks and gain robust bipartisan support to be able to bring bills for a vote, which can happen as soon as this week, a press release stated.

“Given leadership has stated they want the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) and the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) to move together out of the Senate, the two bills have been stitched together,” said Rodee of Schumer’s announcement. “No substantive changes have been made to the bill text. They’re more technical in nature in order for the two bills to be combined together.”

“I'm optimistic. I really hope that we can get this done before August recess. Biden said in his last two state of the union addresses that we needed to do something about the youth mental health crisis fueled by social media. I hope we can get this passed in the senate before their August vacation and get it going again in the house to be signed this fall,” Rodee said. “If the Senate passes KOSA, that will put enormous pressure on the House to do the same. Schumer is committed and he has done what he said he would do as far as getting some of the last minute objections.”

She said there are continued objections by Ted Cruz and Rand Paul but Cruz was one of the biggest showboaters at the hearings so I hope he keeps his word.

“More kids are dying just like Riley. We can't let this keep happening,” Rodee remarked. “Social media platforms are designed in ways that expose kids and teens to harmful content that often leads to a negative body image, self-harm and many other mental health disorders. They are purposefully addicting children for profit.”

Rodee said supporters can go to ParentsTogether’s Action Alert: https://bit.ly/3YhdUT3 and/or Fairplay’s Action Alert: https://bit.ly/3WpBJa8

“We are grateful for your co-sponsorship and prioritization of this landmark legislation,” the parents wrote in a letter to Schumer dated June 18. “We know it is an issue you are deeply committed to, because you met with many of us on May 9 and again on June 5 to reiterate your support for our cause. We were encouraged at that first meeting by your promise to bring KOSA to the floor and by your subsequent commitment to hold a vote by June 20. We write to you today with a single question, because June 20 is fast approaching: Will you keep your word and bring this critical legislation up for a vote?”

Schumer has been an advocate in the fight against social media and online excesses.

“Children and teens have been subjected to online harassment, bullying, and other harms for far too long. This legislation will require social media companies to design their products with the safety of kids and teens in mind, bans targeted advertising to kids, provides parents with tools to protect their kids and gives families more options for managing and disconnecting from these platforms,” said Senator Schumer. “Over the past few months, I’ve met with families from across New York and the country who have gone through the worst thing a parent could endure – losing a child. Rather than retreating into the darkness of their loss, these families lit a candle for others with their advocacy to better control social media and online excesses. I am proud to work side-by-side with them to better protect our children online and on social media.” 

According to the Schumer press release, 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. 

COPPA 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.
• Establish a “Digital Marketing Bill of Rights for Teens” that limits how data is collected from teens.
• Create a Youth Marketing and Privacy Division at the Federal Trade Commission.