Husted supports bipartisan bill to protect kids online

WASHINGTON - Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio) joined Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), John Thune (R-S.D.), and Chuck Schumer's (D-N.Y.) Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA). This bill would protect minors' personal data on online platforms and implement safety tools for parents and minors to target any harmful online content for children.

"We've seen how manipulative algorithms can overwhelm kids with content that harms their mental and physical health-whether it's self-harm, eating disorders or violent material pushed onto their feeds. Parents deserve to know when their children's data is being shared and how these addictive, harmful algorithms work. The Kids Online Safety Act would give families tools to protect their children from content that puts them at risk. I'm proud to join this strong bipartisan coalition to make the online world safer for our kids," said Husted.

Roughly one in five teens say that social media has hurt their mental health.

KOSA would require online platforms to provide minors with options to protect their information, disable addictive product features and opt out of personalized algorithmic recommendations.

The bill would also give parents new controls to help protect their children and spot harmful behaviors.

Husted joins the bipartisan coalition of 70 senators supporting KOSA.

Microsoft, Snap, Fairplay, The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Apple, Nintendo of America, Christian Camp and Conference Association, The Foundation United, Parents for Safe Online Spaces (ParentsSOS), Snap (Snapchat), Street Grace, the American Psychological Association, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and more than 200 other organizations endorse KOSA.

This support builds on Husted's work to protect children online. His bill, the CHAT Act, would bar minors from accessing sexually explicit and harmful content from AI companion chatbots.

Full text of the bill is available here.