[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 124 (Tuesday, July 30, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5559-S5560]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                               KOSA-COPPA

  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I am proud to say, today, the Senate 
keeps its promise to every parent who has lost a child because of the 
risks of social media. Today, after a lot of hard

[[Page S5560]]

work and a lot of twists and turns, we will pass KOSA and COPPA. KOSA 
and COPPA will be perhaps the most important updates to Federal laws 
protecting kids on the internet in decades, and it is a very good first 
step.
  This was truly a bipartisan effort from the start here in the Senate. 
I am proud of the way both sides of the aisle came together on an issue 
affecting so many kids and so many families across America. The House 
should take note and follow the Senate's example by passing KOSA and 
COPPA when they return. After the Senate passes KOSA and COPPA today 
with a strong bipartisan vote, the House should do the same when they 
return in September. These bills have real bipartisan momentum. So we 
should seize the opportunity to send them to the President's desk.
  As we all know, social media has many benefits, but we also know 
about the many risks social media can pose, especially to our kids. Too 
many kids experience relentless promotion of suicide or substance abuse 
material. Too many kids have their personal data collected and then 
used nefariously. With studies showing that kids today spend more time 
on social media than ever before, now is the moment to pass KOSA, pass 
COPPA, and instill guardrails that protect kids from these risks.
  We have heard from so many parents whose kids, sadly, took their own 
lives--their own lives--because of what happened to them on social 
media. To their everlasting credit, these parents, instead of cursing 
the darkness, lit a candle. They turned their grief into grace--an 
amazing thing--and worked doggedly to help get this bill over the 
finish line so that what happened to their kids--their kids will never 
come back--but so that what happened to their kids doesn't happen to 
any others. I thank these brave parents and families for sharing their 
heart-wrenching stories.
  And I thank my colleagues Senators Blumenthal and Blackburn, Markey 
and Cassidy, Durbin and Klobuchar, Chair Cantwell, and so many others 
for championing these bills.