House Passes Walberg and Lee's Legislation to Protect Children's Online Privacy

Today, the House passed the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA 2.0) as part of the bipartisan Kids Internet and Digital Safety (KIDS) Act. Introduced by Representatives Tim Walberg (R-MI) and Laurel Lee (R-FL), COPPA 2.0 modernizes and strengthens the only online privacy law for children, the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), to protect kids and teens from the privacy and safety risks they face online in the digital age.

Over 90 percent of parents agree that existing children's privacy rules should be extended to teenagers. The need for a comprehensive set of protections to safeguard children's and teens' privacy online has become significantly more urgent. The Surgeon General found that social media can have a profound risk of harm to the mental health and well-being of minors, with one in three high school girls contemplating suicide in 2021. Platforms themselves have identified the negative mental health effects of their business models on young people.

"Since COPPA was enacted in 1998, the online world has changed in ways few could have imagined," said Rep Walberg. "COPPA 2.0 will help provide families with the tools necessary to navigate the modern digital landscape by banning targeted advertising and strengthening protections for children and teenagers. Safety online begins with privacy, and our goal is simple: to provide parents with genuine peace of mind, as young users spend an increasing amount of time online."

"When Congress first enacted children's online privacy protections, the internet looked very different than it does today," said Rep. Lee. "COPPA 2.0 updates those protections by establishing clearer rules for how online platforms collect and use the data of children and teenagers. Advancing this legislation through the House is an important step toward ensuring families can have confidence that young people's personal information is protected online."

Provisions of COPPA 2.0

• Expands the existing law protecting children's data to strengthen protections and include teens up to age 17
• Bans targeted advertising to children and teens