Congressman Morelle Announces Support for Legislation Aimed at Protecting Children’s Online Safety
(Rochester, N.Y.)—Congressman Joe Morelle, earlier today, September 4, 2024, announced support for legislation he says will help protect kids’ privacy and safety online.
In a press conference joined by educators, Morelle announced his support of the Kids Online Safety (KOSA) Act and the Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection (COPPA 2.0) Act—two bipartisan legislations aimed at addressing the student mental health crisis by cracking down on Big Tech’s ability to promote dangerous and predatory content to children.
Morelle said the evidence is clear on the direct harm social media and Big Tech is having on our children.
“We have a moral obligation to take action before it gets even worse,” he said. “The internet should be a positive resource and safe place for everyone, which is why I’m working tirelessly to pass these bills into law.”
“With this increased online presence comes the need for robust safeguards to protect them from the growing risks they face—whether it’s exposure to harmful content, cyberbullying, or the exploitation of their personal data,” explained Amy Thomas, Executive Director of the Monroe County School Boards Association.
Specifically, the Kids Online Safety Act would:
Outline a set of harms to minors—including the promotion of suicide, depression, eating disorders, substance abuse, sexual exploitation, and certain unlawful products for minors like narcotic drugs, tobacco products, gambling, and alcohol—and require tech companies to take reasonable measures to prevent and mitigate them;
Require social media companies to enable the strongest possible privacy settings for kids by default and provide minors with options to protect their information, disable addictive product features, and opt out of personalized algorithmic recommendations;
Give parents new controls to help protect their children and spot harmful behaviors, and provides parents and educators with a dedicated channel to report harmful behavior and require platforms to substantively respond in a timely manner;
Empower parents and inform policymakers about individual social media platforms’ efforts to reduce risks to kids;
Direct covered platforms to implement controls to protect against stalking and exploitation of children;
Additionally, COPPA 2.0 would:
Build on the original COPPA, which created protections for children under 13 years old, by prohibiting internet companies from collecting personal information from users who are 13 to 16 years old without their consent;
Ban targeted advertising to children and teens;
Create an “Eraser Button” by requiring companies to permit users to eliminate personal information from a child or teen when technologically feasible; and
Establish data minimization rules to prohibit the excessive collection of children and teens’ data.
Mary Grow, Superintendent of East Irondequoit Central School District, said: “East Irondequoit CSD is happy to welcome Eastridge Alumnus and Hall of Fame recipient, Congressman Joseph Morelle, to discuss the importance of online safety for children, an important topic for our students’ well-being and success. Our district is committed to prioritizing online safety and privacy for our students in this digital age.”
There has been a recent rise in suicide attempts and negative mental health reports among students in the United States. According to the 2023-2024 Monroe County Youth Risk Behavior Survey, nearly one out of every four students reported feeling “so sad or hopeless… that they stopped doing their usual activities” and 11% of students reported seriously contemplating suicide.
Advocates say there is research to link this decline in mental health to a rise in social media prevalence and usage. According to the U.S. Surgeon General and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), up to 95% of 13-17 year old Americans report using at least one social media platform, with nearly one-third of that group reporting “almost [constant]” usage.
The legislation seeks to limit the influence of social media on young people, all while giving parents more transparency and control over what their children see online.
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