Parents Push‌ for Children’s⁢ Online Safety Act

Parents whose children have died or been seriously harmed by social media are pushing ⁢for⁢ a House bill ​to be amended and voted on⁢ as it seeks to strengthen children’s⁢ online ⁢safety and privacy.

Children’s Online Safety Act (KOSA) ⁢Passes​ Senate

The Children’s Online Safety Act (KOSA) passed the Senate in late July with ​a vote‌ of 91-3 as part of a​ package that included the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act ⁤(COPPA 2.0). Despite broad support in ‌the Senate, the ⁤bill ran into trouble in the House ​due to opposition‌ from its leadership.

Parents Urge House Energy ⁤and⁤ Commerce Committee to Act

Parents‍ gathered outside ‌the Capitol‍ Thursday morning urged the House Energy and ⁢Commerce Committee to amend the bill before‌ lawmakers leave Washington for ⁣the election recess and ​to bring the bill to the House floor for⁤ a vote by the end ⁣of the year.

“We are parents and we⁢ are ‍passionate⁤ about ⁤what we ⁢do,” said⁣ Todd Minor, holding a photo of his 12-year-old son, Matthew. “We are⁣ not going anywhere. We are​ going to​ keep coming.‍ We are⁤ going to keep shaking hands and talking to the people ‍who⁤ need to get KOSA passed.”

Personal Stories of Tragedy and Loss

Todd‌ and Mia Minor lost ‍their son in 2019 after​ an internet challenge called ‍the Blackout Challenge. The Blackout Challenge is a challenge that encourages people to record themselves choking to the point of losing⁤ consciousness.

According to Shelby Knox, director of⁢ ParentsTogether’s online safety⁣ campaign,⁢ Minors and⁤ other parents ‍have met with more than ⁢two‍ dozen lawmakers in recent days, including House Speaker Mike Johnson ⁣(R-La.), House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), and Rep. Steny Hoyer‍ (D-Md.), to urge action on KOSA.

Parents Deliver Petition to House Leadership

Parents, led by ParentsTogether, gathered Thursday with boxes of messages from parents⁢ about online safety and a petition ‌signed by more than 100,000 parents in support‍ of⁢ KOSA. The petition was to ⁤be delivered directly to House leadership and members of the Energy‌ and Commerce Committees.

“This is an election year, ⁢and parents‍ are going to vote⁤ for who they ⁤want to represent them,” said Tracy Kemp, ‍whose ⁣14-year-old⁤ son, Brayden, has been cyberbullied on Instagram and Snapchat for racial ‌reasons.

“I know I want someone ‍representing me who ​cares about my kids and cares about⁣ my cause,” Kemp added. “So I ‍hope they understand that this is a very serious issue ​and that we’re not here to do a publicity stunt. ⁣We’re here because ⁤we’ve been through⁤ it.”