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Klobuchar: Children's Online Information Should be Protected

April 29, 2010

Washington, D.C. – At a Senate Commerce Committee Subcommittee hearing today, U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar called for modernizing child online safety rules and privacy standards.  The hearing addressed the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and examined the challenges of keeping children’s information protected and private in the face of emerging technologies and heightened internet use by children. 

“More and more children are getting online and using new technologies, often times even before parents know they exist,” said Klobuchar.  “Technology has changed dramatically since the current protection rules were enacted 10 years ago. It’s clear that we need to modernize these safeguards to ensure our kids’ information remains protected.”

Congress passed COPPA in 1998 requiring parental consent before a commercial website may collect or use any personal information from a child under the age of 13.  The growth and changes of technology has unveiled new issues in protecting children’s information and prompted the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to begin to review the COPPA rules in January.

Klobuchar highlighted the increased use of new technologies and social networking that bring new challenges in protecting children’s online privacy.  Since 2004, the number of children online has increased 18 percent and the average young child aged two to 11 spends more than 11 hours a month on the Internet – a 63 percent increase.  Furthermore, the widespread use of hand-held mobile devices with access to the Internet and downloadable Web applications has transformed the way children communicate and access the Internet.

Klobuchar is an advocate for enhanced cybersecurity and introduced the P2P Cyber Protection and Informed User Act, which would require software developers to clearly inform users when their files are made available to other peer-to-peer users.  She also authored two amendments addressing law enforcement involvement and broadband vulnerability that were included in the in Cybersecurity Act of 2009.

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