Blumenthal & Blackburn Statement on Senate Judiciary Committee's Upcoming Hearing on Children's Online Safety

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) issued the statement below following the release of the witness list for the Senate Judiciary Committee’s hearing on kids’ online safety, scheduled for Tuesday, February 14, 2023 at 10:00 AM, titled “Protecting Our Children Online”:

“We appreciate Chair Durbin and Ranking Member Graham for convening this hearing and inviting these advocates to highlight the dangers to children online and legislation to address this issue—including our Kids Online Safety Act. The excellent witnesses set to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee at Tuesday’s hearing are thoughtful, knowledgeable online safety champions—instrumental in helping us craft our comprehensive bill. We’re especially grateful for the testimony of Kristin and Emma, who are here to share not just their policy recommendations, but their personal trauma and story. It is a timely opportunity to continue shining the spotlight on Big Tech’s ongoing harms to kids—and the need to pass our Kids Online Safety Act to hold these companies accountable. Their armies of lobbyists and lawyers will continue to oppose these bipartisan efforts, but the harrowing experiences of young people and families online implore us to act swiftly. The time is now for Congress to pass the Kids Online Safety Act.”

Blumenthal and Blackburn, as Chair and Ranking Member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Data Security in the last Congress, spearheaded a series of hearings with advocates, experts, and tech executives and conducted a number of inquiries into children’s safety. These hearings and inquiries culminated in the introduction of comprehensive bipartisan legislation, the Kids Online Safety Act in February 2022, which would provide kids and parents with online safeguards and ensure Big Tech accountability.

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