Walberg and Lee Lead Effort to Protect Children’s Online Privacy

Today, Reps. Tim Walberg (R-MI) and Laurel Lee (R-FL) introduced the Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA 2.0). 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.

"The internet landscape has changed drastically since COPPA's enactment in 1998," said Rep Walberg. "In today's digital age, children and teens are spending more and more time online, exposing them to risks that can have long-lasting effects on their mental health and well-being. The data practices of some online platforms have significantly contributed to this alarming trend, through the harvesting of children's personal data and targeted advertisements. Now more than ever, it is essential that we strengthen and modernize COPPA to provide parents with the tools they need to protect their children online. I am proud to lead this effort with Rep. Lee, and look forward to advancing it in the House so we can better protect young users online." 

“Protecting children and teens online requires laws that reflect today’s digital landscape,” said Rep. Lee. “COPPA 2.0 provides necessary updates to existing law, sets clear limits on data collection, and ensures platforms act to protect the privacy and data of young users. This legislation provides parents with stronger tools and creates a safer, more accountable online environment for minors. I am proud to support this effort alongside my colleague.”

Provisions of COPPA 2.0

• Build on COPPA 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;
• Revise COPPA's “actual knowledge” standard to close the loophole that allows social media platforms to ignore kids and teens on their site;
• Create an “Eraser Button” by requiring companies to permit users to eliminate personal information from a child or teen when technologically feasible;
• Establish data minimization rules to prohibit the excessive collection of children and teens’ data.

The full bill text can be found here.