Heinrich Cosponsors Bipartisan Legislation to Protect Children Online, Hold Big Tech Accountable
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Founder and Co-Chair of the Senate Artificial Intelligence Caucus, announced that he is cosponsoring the Kids Online Safety Act, bipartisan legislation to provide kids and parents with better tools to protect themselves online, hold Big Tech accountable, and provide transparency into black box algorithms. The legislation is led by U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and cosponsored by a total of 62 senators.
“As parents, it’s impossible to not worry about the safety of our kids — whether online, in person, or at school. But it is possible to make the internet a safer, more secure space for children, and that’s what this legislation will do,” said Heinrich. "By requiring Big Tech companies to provide users with options to protect their information, disable addictive features, and opt out of algorithmic recommendations, this legislation puts the power back in the hands of parents to protect the well-being of their kids.”
Heinrich continued, “I’d like to thank Senator Blumenthal for his leadership on this legislation and thoughtful consideration of new provisions in this bill that safeguard the privacy, safety, and rights of our youth. As Founder and Co-Chair of the Senate Artificial Intelligence Caucus, I will continue to fight for policies that put the interests of New Mexicans first in the emergence of new digital technologies, while also protecting civil liberties.”
New provisions in the bill:
In close coordination with stakeholders and their colleagues, Blumenthal and Blackburn made several changes to strengthen the legislation and clarify the bill’s language since its introduction in May. Heinrich specifically pushed to update language to ensure that the focus of the bill was to protect children from addictive and harmful social media platform design features, not to empower overzealous state attorneys general to police and penalize children for accessing and creating online content.
The updated bill text for the Kids Online Safety Act can be found here.
A new landing page for the legislation, with the latest information about the bill and helpful resources, can be found here and here.
The Kids Online Safety Act is strongly supported by a broad coalition of parents who have tragically lost their children or whose kids have been severely harmed by Big Tech, young people who want to regain control over their online lives, and hundreds of advocacy groups and experts who study and see the negative effects of social media firsthand in their communities. The growing group of bill supporters includes the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Nintendo of America, Christian Camp and Conference Association, Microsoft, The Foundation United, Parents for Safe Online Spaces (ParentsSOS), Snap, Street Grace, and X.