Hundreds of families urge Schumer to pass children’s safety bill 

Hundreds of parent advocates urged Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York to pass the Kids Online Safety Act in a letter published Thursday and a full-page ad in the Wall Street Journal.

The call to action builds on parental pressure from the CEOs of Meta, TikTok, Discord, Snap, and X (formerly Twitter) during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing last week.

“We have paid the ultimate price for Congress’ failure to regulate social media. Our children have died from the harm caused by social media,” the parents said. I wrote it in a letter.

Fairplay, one of the child advocacy groups that helped organize the letter, said signatories include families whose children died by suicide after being exposed to cyberbullying, sexual coercion and pro-suicide content. That’s what it means.

“Platforms will not make meaningful changes unless Congress forces them to. The urgency of this issue cannot be overstated. More children will die from greed,” they wrote in the letter.

Parents called on Schumer to “use his significant influence and leadership” to prioritize the issue by bringing the Kids Online Safety Act to a vote in the Senate.

The bipartisan bill, sponsored by Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), would require social media companies to impose restrictions such as autoplay and algorithmic recommendations on videos. It requires restricting access to certain features and allowing minors to opt out. .

It would also legally require technology platforms to prevent the promotion of content about certain topics, such as suicide, eating disorders and self-harm.

The latest version of the bill passed the Senate Commerce Committee in July with broad bipartisan support, and nearly half of the Senate signed on as sponsors, but the bill has not yet been called for a floor vote. It was advanced without being called for a vote in the previous Congress.

A bill introduced in July would narrow the definition of a duty of care, allaying concerns raised by some human rights groups that it would limit information to teens about sexuality, gender identity and reproductive health care. .

However, some groups still express concerns about unintended consequences that could result.

At a news conference last week ahead of the hearing, Blumenthal and Blackburn said they were working with stakeholders on some provisions of the bill, but did not elaborate on potential changes. .

After last week’s hearing, a spokesperson for Schumer said in a statement that children’s online safety is a “priority” for him.

“As we work to pass additional legislation and keep the government funded in the coming weeks, Leader Schumer will continue to work with the sponsors of the Online Safety Act to secure the support they need.” said at the time.