Sen Marsha Blackburn calls for protection of children in virtual space as she breaks down Kids Online Safety Act on ‘Fox & Friends’

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Sen Marsha Blackburn appeared on the February 17 episode of 'Fox & Friends' with co-host Rachel Campos to share the details of the bipartisan Kids Online Safety Act that is soon expected to be passed in the Senate with major support, after being introduced in the Spring of 2023.

Introducing the subject, Campos stated that the law would require "big tech companies to implement privacy settings for young users, along with tools for parents to monitor their kids' online presence".

How does the Kids Online Safety Act work?

"This bill is safety by design," began Blackburn while explaining the upcoming Act. "What it would do is give kids and parents that toolbox they have been asking for."

"It would establish a duty of care," she continued, "It requires annual independent audit to make certain that they are abiding by the legislation. It also would give a portal where parents and teens can report bad actors that are in the system. Because we know that our children are being flooded with information on cyberbullying, eating disorders, depression, (and) self-harm. They are meeting pedophiles, drug dealers..."

"This (Act) puts the responsibility on the social media platforms. Our children have been the product when they are on these platforms. The longer they stay on, the more eyeballs the platform gets, the richer the data is ... and these companies are making a lot of money, and our children are being harmed."

"This is why 62 senators have joined Sen Blumenthal and I in saying it is time to pass this legislation for putting in place protections for kids in the virtual space," added Blackburn.

According to the Fox News report, the Kids Online Safety Act limits who children can talk to, and infinite scrolling and notifications, while making it easier for them to delete their accounts or data. It also defaults applications to their most protective privacy/safety settings, provides easy-to-use parental controls, and allows them to set time limits for their children.

Major support for Kids Online Safety Act

When Campos asked the Senator if the Bill would have the backing of social media executives, Blackburn stated that everyone was in agreement with the fact that children should not be exposed to harmful content in the virtual space.

"We are certain that we are going to get (the legislation) through the House quickly," she later shared, "Because we have over 200 groups and organizations that have worked with us (who) say it is time to protect our children in the virtual space, just as we do in the physical space."