Statement of Administration Policy: Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute to S. 2073 - Kids Online Safety and Privacy Act

STATEMENT OF ADMINISTRATION POLICY

(Senate)

The Administration strongly supports the bipartisan amendment, in the nature of a substitute, to S. 2073, the Kids Online Safety and Privacy Act, a landmark bill to protect the online safety, privacy, and health of children and teenagers.

The rise of social media and other online platforms has contributed to an unprecedented mental health crisis among youth in the United States. That's why, during his first State of the Union Address, President Biden outlined a Unity Agenda for the Nation and called on both parties in Congress to come together to deliver progress for the American people, including by holding Big Tech accountable to keep kids safe online, and has repeated that call each year.

The amendment to S. 2073 would finally advance bold actions to hold Big Tech accountable, including by requiring social media companies to take reasonable steps to prevent and mitigate online harms to children, such as the promotion of suicide, eating disorders, substance use, online harassment and abuse, and sexual exploitation. It would give children and their parents the tools and safeguards they need to protect against harmful content, including options to disable addictive product features and opt out of algorithmic recommendations—and it would require online companies to enable the strongest safety and privacy settings by default. These provisions are supported by mandated transparency reporting and independent audits. This critical legislation would also expand existing privacy protections to prohibit online companies from collecting personal information from users who are under 17 years old without their consent and ban targeted advertising directed at children and teens.

Congress has not taken meaningful action to protect children and teenagers online since 1998— before the ubiquity of social media and the invention of the smartphone. It's long past time to act to keep youth safe online and hold Big Tech accountable for the national experiment they are running on our children for profit. The Administration applauds the bipartisan group of Senators for their work to craft this important legislation and urges Congress to come together to send it to the President's desk for signature without delay.