Sen. Cruz Joins Updated Bipartisan Kids Online Safety Act That Protects Children, Privacy

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, joined Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) in introducing the bipartisan Kids Online Safety Act. Following the Senate Judiciary Committee’s hearing with Big Tech CEOs, support for the legislation has grown with a total of 62 senators now co-sponsoring the bill. After the hearing, Sen. Cruz worked to strengthen the legislation before it is considered by the full Senate.

About the legislation, Sen. Cruz said, “Big Tech companies have failed to keep abhorrent and harmful content away from young users or give parents the tools necessary to keep children safe online. The Kids Online Safety Act is a serious and meaningful step toward empowering parents and protecting our kids from toxic content, bullying, sexual predators, and other online threats. Over the past several months, I am proud to have worked with Sens. Blackburn, Blumenthal, and Cantwell to make improvements to this bipartisan legislation so that it is ready for the Senate floor. As the parent of teenagers, I hope my congressional colleagues will come together to pass this legislation to help address the crises of depression and suicide that children across the country are facing in part because of social media.”

Sens. Cruz, Blumenthal, and Blackburn were joined by U.S. Sens. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Todd Young (R-Ind.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Bob Casey (D-Pa.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Tom Carper (D-Del.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), John Thune (R-S.D.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), with U.S. Sens. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Mitt Romney (R-Utah), Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Laphonza Butler (D-Calif.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Angus King (I-Maine), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), and Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) newly cosponsoring the legislation.

Read the full text of the bill here.

BACKGROUND

The Kids Online Safety Act would provide kids and parents with better tools to protect themselves online and hold Big Tech accountable for harms to kids.

The Kids Online Safety Act is strongly supported by a broad coalition of parents who have tragically lost their children or whose kids have been severely harmed by Big Tech, young people who want to regain control over their online lives, and hundreds of advocacy groups and experts who study and see the negative effects of social media firsthand in their communities. The growing group of bill supporters includes the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Nintendo of America, Christian Camp and Conference Association, Microsoft, The Foundation United, Parents for Safe Online Spaces (ParentsSOS), Snap, Street Grace, and X.