ParentsSOS Applauds U.S. Senate Advancing KOSPA to Final Vote
U.S. Senate votes overwhelmingly in favor of moving the Kids Online Safety & Privacy Act forward to a vote next week
(WASHINGTON, D.C., July 25, 2024) – Parents for Safe Online Spaces (ParentsSOS), an educational initiative formed by bereaved families to combat online harms, issued the following statement after a landmark cloture Senate vote on the Kids Online Safety and Privacy Act (KOSPA) that saw 86-1 Senators voting in favor of a final vote on the bill next week:
“I, along with every parent who has lost a child to online harms, am breathing a little easier today. We have been tirelessly at work advocating for proper protections on social media to protect our kids’ well-being and safety, and today’s vote shows that the Senate is finally hearing us,” said Maurine Molak, Co-Founder of ParentsSOS and David's Legacy Foundation. “I am deeply thankful to Majority Leader Schumer, and Senators Blumenthal and Blackburn for their continued leadership to get KOSPA over the finish line. With majority bipartisan support behind the bill, I urge every senator to support KOSPA in next week’s final vote and I urge their colleagues in the House to follow suit and pass its counterpart bill. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: This legislation would have saved my child’s life. It’s time to ensure that no other family has to bear the pain of burying their child.”
Families who have suffered the devastating loss of a child due to online harms have consistently called for Congressional action to rein in Big Tech’s harmful design practices and predatory algorithms. After today’s vote, KOSPA will advance to a final floor vote in the Senate on Tuesday, July 30. KOSPA would be the first law since 1998 to regulate online spaces.
ParentsSOS urges every senator to prioritize children's safety and support KOSPA, which is essential in shielding minors from online harms. The welfare of our children and families must take precedence over Big Tech’s profit motives.
“It has been more than 25 years since our government has done anything to protect children from the predatory, and too often lethal, business practices of Big Tech,” said Josh Golin, Executive Director of Fairplay and Co-Founder of ParentsSOS. “With a procedural vote to move KOSPA to final passage next week, the overwhelming majority of Senators have finally said: enough. They have heard the many parents, children and advocates from across the country who have been pleading with them to force companies like Meta, Snap, TikTok and YouTube to do more to keep kids safe, and they have agreed it is time. I am so grateful for the leadership of Majority Leader Schumer, Chairwoman Cantwell and Ranking member Cruz, as well as Senators Blumenthal and Blackburn – the original co-sponsors – in seeing this bill across this momentous finish line. And I am blown away by the courage and conviction of the parents who have suffered the worst and are determined to make change to honor their children.”
ParentsSOS extends its gratitude to Sen. Richard Blumenthal and Sen. Marsha Blackburn for their continued leadership in advancing KOSPA through the Senate, and Majority Leader Chuck Schumer for his outspoken support for the bill. This legislative step is crucial for a bipartisan bill with widespread support, designed to enforce stringent duties on social media companies to protect minors. ParentsSOS continues to be a key advocate for KOSPA, stressing the urgent need for legislative action to protect children in today’s digital world.
ParentsSOS will continue to provide educational resources and advocate for legislative change to protect children online. For more information about ParentsSOS and its mission, visit https://www.parentssos.org/.
