Charleston Leader

U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), a member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, voted in favor of the Kids Online Safety and Privacy Act today. The legislation aims to protect children from online dangers associated with social media and provide parents with necessary tools. It combines the Kids Online Safety Act, which Senator Capito helped introduce, and the Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act 2.0, of which she is a cosponsor. The bill passed with a vote of 91-3 and now moves to the U.S. House of Representatives.

“It is past time that Congress hold social media companies accountable for the risks they pose to our youth. The bipartisan passage of the Kids Online Safety and Privacy Act sends the message to online platforms that they must be responsible for the content provided to our children and tools must be in place to empower parents and prevent harm. I’m proud to support this effort, and encourage my colleagues in the House of Representatives to take action on this legislation on behalf of America’s youth and the all too common online risks they face,” Senator Capito stated.

The Kids Online Safety and Privacy Act provides young people and parents with tools, safeguards, and transparency needed to protect against online harms. The bill mandates that social media platforms prioritize children's well-being by creating a safe environment by default. Specifically, it requires that:

- Social media platforms cannot use kids’ data without consent.

- Addictive features must be disabled by default for kids.

- Targeted advertising to minors is banned.

- Platforms must be transparent about their efforts to combat harm.