‘Ensuring the safety of our children is not a partisan issue. It is simply common sense.’
U.S. Rep. Juan Ciscomani
Contributed Article
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Juan Ciscomani (AZ-06) is commending House passage of the Kids Internet and Digital Safety (KIDS) Act, which passed with bipartisan support in a 267-117 vote. Representative Ciscomani is proud to have voted in favor of this legislation to protect and safeguard children who use online platforms.
“As a father of six, my children’s safety is my number one concern. I want to know that they are safe, especially when using the internet,” said Rep. Ciscomani. “I am deeply committed to supporting legislation that protects our most vulnerable. That is why I am proud to have voted in favor of the KIDS Act and applaud its bipartisan passage in the House. I now urge the Senate to pass this bill because ensuring the safety of our children is not a partisan issue. It is simply common sense.”
As minors have increased access to the internet and social media, it is imperative to put adequate protections in place to ensure those under 18 are safe while using these platforms. Statistics show that 44% of parents are concerned about their teen’s mental health and argue that social media is the biggest negative influence on this age group.
In addition to a negative impact on mental health, there has been an influx of harmful behaviors online in recent years, such as cyberbullying and grooming, as well as kids experiencing increased exposure to explicit content such as pornography. Children online often encounter content they should not see because safeguards are too lax.
The KIDS Act, a sweeping legislative package, seeks to improve the safety of minors who use online platforms by combining 12 individual bills to ensure their safety and privacy online. This package includes:
- The SCREEN Act
- Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA)
- Safe Messaging for Kids Act
- SPY KIDS Act
- Safer Gaming Act
- SAFE Bots Act
- Safe Social Media Act
- No Fentanyl on Social Media Act
- Assessing Safety Tools for Parents and Minors Act
- Promoting a Safe Internet for Minors Act
- AWARE Act
- Kids Internet and Safety Partnership Act
Individually, these bills seek to tackle specific internet safety issues, but combined they deliver tangible steps to ensure more widespread protection of minors using the internet, including strengthened provisions for age verification, safeguards against exposure to harmful content such as pornography and grooming attempts from adults, and increased access for parents to oversee their child’s internet activity. Families deserve the proper tools and increased transparency that allow them to know their children are safe online.
Rep. Ciscomani remains dedicated to ensuring proper protections are in place to keep children safe online. He strongly encourages his colleagues in the Senate to pass the KIDS Act so that the President can eventually sign it into law.
