07.23.24

Durbin Announces Support For Initial Senate Kids' Online Safety Package, Urges Further Action

Durbin: "KOSA and COPPA 2.0 are positive steps toward changing this dynamic that I can support, but we need more ... I will continue to advocate for a vote on my STOP CSAM Act and any other measure that would make the internet safer for our children."

WASHINGTON – In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, announced his support for the kids’ online safety package under consideration by the Senate this week. The package, announced by Leader Schumer, includes the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) and the Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA 2.0).

Durbin began by outlining the leading role that the Judiciary Committee took this Congress pushing for action on kids’ online safety, saying: “I want to congratulate Leader Schumer on his decision to introduce a kids’ online safety package … In February of last year, the Committee held a hearing on how to protect our kids online. We heard from a mother who lost her son after he was bullied online, a teen advocate who has struggled with the impact of social media on her mental health, and many experts. In January, the Committee held a historic hearing with five Big Tech CEOs. The room was filled with survivors, parents, and family members whose lives had been impacted by Big Tech’s failures.”

Durbin continued by underscoring the immense worry from parents and need for action on kids’ online safety, saying: “The emotion I felt during that hearing as I looked at their faces was unforgettable. Their grief was palpable. But so was their sense of purpose. They were there with a mission to confront the CEOs and demand that Congress finally enact legislation to make the online world safer for our kids and hold these tech companies accountable.”

Durbin attested to the remarkable bipartisan note struck on this issue, saying: “No other topic has brought members of our Committee together from across the political spectrum as powerfully as this one … That bipartisan support was further demonstrated when the Committee unanimously reported five bills, including my STOP CSAM Act, that would finally hold Big Tech accountable.”

Durbin concluded by announcing his support for the initial package and urged further action, saying: “The bills that are coming to the floor from the Commerce Committee are good bills, but they turn to the Federal Trade Commission and other agencies to enforce the law and to police these Big Tech companies. That’s not enough … they need dramatic increases in resources and personnel to make it work. In the meantime, our approach is to hold the companies civilly responsible with the possibility of lawsuits and litigation to enforce it. That will get their attention … KOSA and COPPA 2.0 are positive steps toward changing this dynamic that I can support, but we need more. We’ve got to get serious. If we create civil liability for wrongdoing, there will be an enforcement mechanism to deal with these companies. I will continue to advocate for a vote on my STOP CSAM Act and any other measure that would make the internet safer for our children.”

Video of Durbin’s questions in Committee is available here.

Audio of Durbin’s questions in Committee is available here.

Footage of Durbin’s questions Committee is available here for TV Stations.

This Congress, the Committee has unanimously reported five bills to the full Senate to help protect kids online. Visit this webpage for an overview of the Committee’s efforts to protect kids online, including descriptions of the pending legislation, hearings, and a timeline of events.

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