U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) on May 3 cosponsored bipartisan legislation that would strengthen protections related to the online collection, use, and disclosure of personal information of children and teenagers.
The Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act, S. 1418, also known as COPPA 2.0, is sponsored by U.S. Sen. Edward Markey (D-MA) and would amend the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 to ensure online protections for children and teens.
“Children and teenagers are going to use the internet. Parents should be confident their children are safe when doing so,” Sen. Cassidy said. “This bill prohibits internet companies from collecting personal information on young teenagers without consent.”
Specifically, S. 1418 would prohibit internet companies from collecting personal information from users who are 13 to 16-years-old without their consent and ban targeted advertising to children and teens, according to a bill summary provided by Sen. Cassidy’s office.
The measure also would create an “eraser button” for parents and kids by requiring companies to permit users to eliminate personal information from a child or teen when technologically feasible, and would establish both a Digital Marketing Bill of Rights for Teens and a Youth Marketing and Privacy Division at the Federal Trade Commission, the summary says.
“Big Tech is knowingly fueling a mental health crisis in this country by exploiting kids and teens just so they can make an extra buck. It’s Congress’s job to stand up for young people and put an end to it,” said Sen. Markey. “Congress must pass COPPA 2.0 to put immediate safeguards in place that prevent Big Tech from tracking, traumatizing, and targeting young people every second, every minute, and every hour of the day.”
The senator added that while he’s proud of the protections guaranteed in the 1998 law, COPPA, “the fact remains that today’s online guardrails were written before the invention of the iPhone; the law has to evolve to meet the reality of today’s digital landscape.”
S. 1418 has been endorsed by myriad organizations and entities, including the Academy for Eating Disorders, Accountable Tech, the American Counseling Association, the American Federation of Teachers, the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, Berkeley Media Studies Group, Common Sense Media, Mental Health America, the National Association of Social Workers, the Public Good Law Center, The Kennedy Forum, We Stand Guard LLC, and the YCA Human Trafficking Task Force, among many others.