By Including the Parents Over Platforms Act in the Final Kids Safety Package
WASHINGTON, D.C. – As the Senate Commerce Committee plans a markup on a package of online safety legislation on Wednesday, the Association for Competitive Technology (ACT) urges Senators to include the Parents Over Platforms Act (POPA), and to focus on prioritizing online safety rules that truly empower parents, developers, and platforms to protect kids online.
“We are encouraged by the Committee’s exclusion of the Meta-backed App Store Accessibility Act (ASAA). The universal age verification mandate would crush small independent developers, unnecessarily compromise consumer data, and ultimately, introduce legal chaos, all without providing meaningful protection for kids,” said Morgan Reed, president of ACT. “The bipartisan Parents Over Platforms Act (POPA) offers a pragmatic, security-first approach by imposing the requirement to use risk-appropriate age assurance methods only on apps that provide differentiated experiences for children and adults, or that are intended only for adults.”
In June, over 25 ACT members sent a letter to Congressional leadership calling on Congress to reject Meta’s proposal to skirt responsibility and instead support POPA, which is bipartisan and widely supported by the entrepreneurs most negatively impacted by age verification legislation. POPA offers a pragmatic, risk-based approach that empowers parents without turning small businesses into collateral damage. Long-term, ACT Members encourage Congress to focus on legislating a comprehensive federal privacy law to standardize practices while keeping the flames of innovation alight and fully aligning policy to the privacy and safety expectations of Americans.
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About The Association for Competitive Technology (ACT):
ACT is a global trade association for small and medium-sized technology companies. Our members are entrepreneurs, innovators, and independent developers within the global app ecosystem that engage with verticals across every industry. We work with our members to promote a policy environment that rewards and inspires innovation while providing resources that help small businesses raise capital, create jobs, and continue to build incredible technology.
Contact: [email protected]