Van Hollen Statement for the Record on the Kids Online Safety and Privacy Act

M. President, I rise in support of the Kids Online Safety and Privacy Act, a bill that includes an amended version of the Kids Online Safety Act and the Children and Teens Online Privacy Protection Act. I commend the bill’s sponsors, Commerce Chair Cantwell, Leader Schumer, and members like Senator Wyden and the many outside advocates for children, civil rights, and privacy who have helped improve the bill to the version we are voting on today. I also appreciate the parents and students who have shared their experiences with me, particularly those who have turned great pain into advocacy to protect children.

While the internet is an invaluable tool for connecting people, disseminating information, and fostering an exchange of ideas, it can also be exploited to spread misinformation, harvest personal data, and prey on society’s most vulnerable. The complex landscape can be especially difficult to navigate for young people, who deserve the freedom to access information and express themselves online but can also be subject to bullying, targeting, and privacy violations.

I had concerns about the Kids Online Safety Act as originally introduced, particularly provisions that could have permitted political censorship of content and falsely categorized basic information as dangerous or harmful. The bill before us today focuses instead on design elements to protect children online, including restricting features that encourage compulsive use, ensuring more transparency about how platforms use personalized recommendation systems and allow users to opt out of those systems, and providing optional tools that can help parents manage their child’s online experience while protecting young people’s access to information. I became a cosponsor of the Kids Online Safety Act after these changes were included, strengthening the legislation while, in turn, preventing unintended consequences. 

Congress will also have an obligation to ensure that the Federal Trade Commission implements this bill as intended, with clear guidance to platforms on how to comply with the law without restricting First Amendment-protected content or limiting privacy protections. I believe this legislation is a balanced approach to the serious challenge of protecting young people online, but will carefully monitor its implementation and effects to ensure it remains targeted to prevent harm.