Central Louisiana News

U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) has highlighted the recent Senate passage of his Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA 2.0) in an op-ed published in The Advocate. The bill, which aims to update online privacy protections for minors, was passed alongside the Kids Online Safety Act in July with strong bipartisan support.

“Parents are right to worry about the ways their children can be targeted online,” wrote Dr. Cassidy. “But there is a reason to hope.”

“We wrote a bill to protect children’s privacy, and it is now inches away from becoming law. The Senate took a massive step toward protecting our children online by passing my Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act — or COPPA 2.0 — last month,” continued Dr. Cassidy.

“The Senate leaped at the opportunity to pass these bills because there was a clear mandate from parents to do more,” concluded Dr. Cassidy. “We listened and sent the bills to the House of Representatives. Now my hope is that the House will join us.”

In his op-ed titled "The Senate Passed My Bill to Protect Children Online. Now We Must Make It Law," Dr. Cassidy emphasized parents' concerns about online targeting of children and noted that existing rules were outdated, having been established in 1998.

Dr. Cassidy stated that COPPA 2.0 includes provisions such as banning advertising targeted at children and teens, expanding protections to teenagers who are currently treated as adults under existing laws, and creating an “eraser button” for data deletion.

He also mentioned that this legislation complements the Kids Online Safety Act, which aims to give parents tools to control their children's exposure to inappropriate content on social media platforms.

COPPA 2.0 is supported by over 100 organizations including the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Federation of Teachers, American Psychological Association, Center for Digital Democracy, Common Sense Media, National Education Association, National Parent Teacher Association, and U.S PIRG.

Cassidy is also an original cosponsor of the Kids Online Safety Act which has garnered support from over 60 senators since February 2024.