NEW YORK, NY – Today, 7,500 parents from Louisiana, New York, and Kentucky called on Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, House Speaker Mike Johnson, and Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries to advance the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), a bipartisan youth online safety bill, in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization package. 

Earlier this month, Representatives Gus Biliarakis (R-FL), Kathy Castor (D-FL), Erin Houchin (R-IN), Kim Schrier (D-WA), and Larry Buschon (R-IN) introduced a House version of the landmark bipartisan legislation (H.R. 7891), which has already received a hearing in the U.S.House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Innovation, Data, & Commerce subcommittee.

The Senate version of KOSA is now sponsored by two-thirds of the U.S. Senate and passed unanimously out of the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee. 

“Advocates and lawmakers have spent years developing and championing bipartisan legislation for both chambers to take up, and the moment to seize on that effort is now,” said Shelby Knox, Campaign Director at ParentsTogether Action. “Swift passage of the TikTok divestiture bill proves that Congress can meet the moment and accomplish big things. It’s time for Schumer, McConnell, Johnson, and Jeffries to build on that momentum and advance bipartisan kids’ online safety measures that protect children from predatory social media platforms. We are calling for them to heed the call from their constituents and move the Kids Online Safety Act by any means necessary, including the upcoming FAA reauthorization.”

KOSA would require social media companies to design their platforms to put children’s safety ahead of profits. That means identifying and mitigating harms, giving parents better reporting tools, and turning children’s privacy protections to the highest settings by default.

Thousands of Louisiana, New York, and Kentucky parents hailing from every corner of their respective states wrote to Schumer, McConnell, Johnson, and Jeffries: “Report after report has linked the pressure to spend more time on digital media platforms with the growing mental health crisis in young people, increased risk of sexual predation, and decreased overall wellbeing in kids and teens.” 

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