HARTFORD, Conn. — U.S. lawmakers are trying to bring awareness to the dangers young people face online and are now, possibly passing legislation.
U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut) is reintroducing a proposal called the Kids Online Safety Act, which aims to empower young people and parents with the tools and safeguards they need to protect themselves online and would hold big tech companies accountable for harm to kids.
Blumenthal met with local middle schoolers Friday, to talk about this legislation and issues young people encounter online.
“They'd be like, “Oh, you're ugly or fat. You shouldn't be here. You don't belong here,’” Ai’lani Alvelo, an eighth grader at E.B. Kennelly Middle School, recalled bullying she’s experienced on social media.
“I got off social media for a while then I came back and I actually used the negativity that they have against me and I used it to brighten my self-esteem,” Alvelo said.
She and some of her classmates spent the afternoon discussing social media use among young people with Blumenthal.
“You just feel like you don't belong in the place, you want to leave and you'll feel like the place is better without you,” said another E.B. Kennelly student.
Blumenthal is reintroducing the Kids Online Safety Act in Congress with the hope of enacting stricter settings on social media platforms and allowing children and parents to disable addictive features and opt out of algorithmic recommendations.
“Now the bullying can follow you in a way that it couldn't before,” Blumenthal said. “We don't want to shut you out. We want to empower you to have more control.”
He says he’s concerned about the access big tech companies have to users’ data, especially minors.
“The more eyeballs the more dollars because they get advertising,” he added. “You are their product. You are the product.”
Blumenthal’s cosponsoring the bill with Tennesee Republican Marsha Blackburn and says he now has a group of 20 bipartisan senators supporting this measure.
“It's a responsibility of care,” he continued. “If you know something bad is happening, you need to stop it.”
For students like Ai’lani, this bill is a welcome move.
“That was very encouraging because now we know that we're not alone on this journey that we're trying to get through,” she said. “We know we have help and they're trying to make something happen.”
Blumenthal says this measure almost passed last session and now with even more support from lawmakers across the aisle, he’s very hopeful it will pass this time.
Emma Wulfhorst is a political reporter for FOX61 News. She can be reached at ewulfhorst@fox61.com. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
---
Have a story idea or something on your mind you want to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at newstips@fox61.com
----
HERE ARE MORE WAYS TO GET FOX61 NEWS
Download the FOX61 News APP
iTunes: Click here to download
Google Play: Click here to download
Stream Live on ROKU: Add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching FOX61.
Steam Live on FIRE TV: Search ‘FOX61’ and click ‘Get’ to download.