Senators Try to Add Kids’ Online Safety Bills to FAA Law

Senators are trying to add bills aimed at increasing online safety laws for children into a must-pass Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization bill.

Two bills that aim to increase the safety of minors online through data privacy updates and rules to limit potentially harmful features are being introduced as amendments to be added to the FAA reauthorization that must be approved before the March 10 deadline. May.

Senators Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.) introduced their COPPA 2.0 bill, which would update the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, as an amendment to the FAA bill on Thursday -fair.

“Today, Senator Cassidy and I introduced COPPA 2.0 as an amendment to the FAA bill because we have waited too long to protect the privacy of children and teens in this country,” Markey said in a statement.

“We must end Big Tech’s invasive and pernicious business model that tracks and targets our young people online. Big Tech has contributed to young people’s mental health crisis and it’s time for Congress to do something about it,” he added.

The bill aims to increase the privacy of children’s online data by adding regulations on how data from users aged 16 and under is collected and used by technology companies. It would also prohibit advertisements aimed at minors.

Another bill, the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), was introduced as an amendment to the FAA by Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) on Wednesday, a spokesperson confirmed from Blackburn.

The spokesperson said the two senators are pursuing “every possible avenue to see KOSA signed into law,” including attaching it to the upcoming FAA reauthorization.

KOSA aims to design platforms and would add regulations that aim to mitigate concerns about certain tools and features that may be harmful to children’s mental health.

It has rare broad, bipartisan support — with more than 60 senators listed as cosponsors, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (DN.Y.).

The project gained momentum after a hearing on child safety with the CEOs of Meta, TikTok, Discord, Snap and X in January, but has not yet been called for a plenary vote.

A bipartisan House version was introduced in March, adding a clearer path for the bill to pass both chambers.

The FAA reauthorization is one of the last must-read pieces of legislation lawmakers need to consider before September, so it could lead lawmakers to push for unrelated priority bills to be added to pass before the November elections.

Advocates for children’s online safety, including parents and teen-led groups, have been pushing Congress to act on KOSA after years of inaction regarding the regulation of technology platforms and their impacts on teens. Lawmakers have held a series of hearings on the harms but have not yet passed legislation to add enforceable rules aimed at holding technology companies accountable for their impact on children.

The Senate voted 89 to 10 on Wednesday to clear the first procedural hurdle to move forward with consideration of the overall package.