Cybersecurity Policy Report, Bill to Update COPPA Reintroduced by Sens. Markey, Cassidy, (Mar 4, 2025)

By Jeff Williams

Sens. Ed Markey (D., Mass.) and Bill Cassidy (R., La.) today reintroduced the Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA 2.0), S.B. _, 119th Cong. (2025), which would, among other things, extend existing affirmative consent requirements for children 12 and under to minors aged 13 to 16, ban targeted ads to children and teens, and require an online “Eraser Button” to enable users to delete personal information collected from a child or a teen.

“We need strong modern legislation that keeps pace with the ever-evolving digital landscape and creates a safer online environment by addressing the youth mental health crisis and protecting the personal information of our kids,” Mr. Markey said in a news release.

The legislation, which the lawmakers first introduced in 2021 and then reintroduced in the last Congress (CPR, May 4, 2023), would also limit the collection of personal information from teens and revise the existing Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act’s “actual knowledge” standard to an “actual knowledge or knowledge fairly implied on the basis of objective circumstances” standard.

“COPPA 2.0 is the tool that will give parents the peace of mind they need and keep their children’s personal information secure,” Mr. Cassidy said.

Sen. Maria Cantwell (D., Wash.), the ranking member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, as well as Sens. Brian Schatz (D., Hawaii), Shelly Moore Capito (R., W.Va.), Amy Klobuchar (D., Minn.), Mike Crapo (R., Idaho.), Ron Wyden (D., Ore.), Chuck Grassley (R., Iowa), Ben Ray Luján (D., N.M.), Richard Blumenthal (D., Conn.), Jeff Merkley (D., Ore.), Peter Welch (D., Vt.), Angus King (I., Maine), Mark Kelly (D., Ariz.), Katie Britt (R., Ala.), and Martin Heinrich (D., N.M.) have signed on as co-sponsors of the bill.

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