Correspondence- Non-Agenda - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

shouldn't have to rely on courageous whistleblowers like Frances Haugen to understand how social media platforms are impacting our youth. 6. Require minors' privacy and account settings to be on the most protective by default, rather than putting the onus on youth or their parents to navigate a maze of confusing settings just to have a safer, more age-appropriate experience. 7. Have a clear and effective enforcement mechanism, such as a division at the FTC, solely dedicated to protecting young people and their privacy online. The good news is that two bills which together would do all of the above, the Kids Online Safety Act and the Children and Teens' Online Privacy Protection Act, advanced out of the Commerce Committee with broad bipartisan support last July—the first such legislation to advance out of committee in more than two decades. The Committee votes came on the heels of a number of important hearings with whistleblowers, child development experts, and tech executives in the Senate Judiciary and Commerce Committees and House Energy and Commerce Committee, which established a clear record of harm and the need for new online protections for young people. The bad news, of course, is that neither bill became law or even received a floor vote. And every day that the status quo continues, children are suffering—and even dying—from preventable harms. We've named the problem and debated the solutions. Now it's time to build on last year's momentum and disrupt the cycle of harm by passing privacy and safety-by-design legislation. Let's make 2023 the year that Congress finally takes a huge step toward creating the internet children and families deserve. Thank you again for having me here today and I look forward to discussing all of this with you. Testimony of Josh Golin, Fairplay, February 14, 2023 20