ICYMI: New Polling Shows Massive Public Support for the Kids Online Safety Act

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – In case you missed it, a new poll shows that the bipartisan Kids Online Safety Act, sponsored by U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), has massive support across the political spectrum. The poll, released this week by Issue One’s Council for Responsible Social Media, ParentsSOS, and Fairplay found that 86 percent of U.S. voters support the Kids Online Safety Act. Support for the bill crosses partisan lines, with 87 percent of Republicans, 88 percent of Democrats, and 82 percent of independents in favor of it. 76 percent of Republican voters are also more likely to vote for a candidate of Congress that supports the Kids Online Safety Act.

The poll also found that the public has serious concerns about Big Tech’s harms to kids. Ninety percent of the electorate believes that it is important to combat the harms being caused by social media platforms, and nearly nine in ten voters (88 percent) believe the government should pass laws to enact safeguards. Nearly all voters (93 percent) agree that mental health challenges facing young people today are a serious issue, and 67 percent believe that social media has made child and teen mental health worse today than 15 years ago.

“The Kids Online Safety Act provides parents and young people the tools they need to protect themselves against Big Tech causing life-changing harm; 91 to 3—that is the margin by which we passed the legislation in the Senate. The overwhelming bipartisan support from our colleagues and the American public demonstrates that the time is now to hold Big Tech accountable for putting profits over safety, and we will continue in this fight to make social media a safer place for our nation’s children,” said Blumenthal and Blackburn.

More information about the newly released poll can be found here.

U.S. Senators Blumenthal (D-CT) and Blackburn (R-TN) are the lead sponsors of the bipartisan Kids Online Safety Act, which would provide kids and parents with better tools to protect themselves online, hold Big Tech accountable for harms to kids, and provide transparency into black box algorithms. The bill passed the Senate in July with a historic 91-3 vote.

-30-