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.”