TOMORROW: Senate Markup Shows Need for Congress to Pass Meaningful Kids Online Safety Legislation

WASHINGTON — In advance of tomorrow’s U.S. Senate Commerce Committee’s hearing to mark up the three Issue One-endorsed bills the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), Youth AI Privacy Act, and CHATBOT Act, Issue One Policy Lead for Technology Reform Isabel Sunderland released the following statement:

“The Senate Commerce markup of the Kids Online Safety Act, the Youth AI Privacy Act, and the CHATBOT Act is a long overdue step. It is past time for Congress to see this issue for what it is: a fight for profits versus Americans’ lives. For too long, powerful AI and social media companies have made design choices that prioritize engagement over the safety of American families and our democracy.

“Issue One urges the committee to pass all three bills in their strongest form. First, the committee must preserve the duty of care  provision — the legal requirement for companies to take reasonable care when deploying design features. Second, across all three bills, Congress must make clear that state attorney generals and private lawsuits can continue fighting to hold Big Tech accountable. Finally, lawmakers must work with parent and youth advocates at every step of the process. This is the only way to create a brighter future for young people and our democracy.”

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Issue One is the leading crosspartisan political reform group in Washington, D.C. We unite Republicans, Democrats, and independents in the movement to fix our broken political system and build an inclusive democracy that works for everyone.