WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) issued the statement below following news that Facebook will delay the development of a kids’ version of Instagram:

“The decision to delay the development of Instagram for Kids is the right one. As we continue to learn about the negative effects of social media on children, we also must recognize how Instagram for Kids would put young users’ privacy in jeopardy. Just last week we learned that Instagram’s own internal research shows that using the platform worsens body image issues for one in three teen girls. We also know that the data collected by big tech companies, including Facebook, has high competitive value, and yet we know little about how the use of that data affects our children and their privacy. This week, I look forward to joining the Senate Commerce Committee’s hearings on privacy and protecting kids online.”

In December 2019, Klobuchar joined Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee Chair Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and fellow Senators Brian Schatz (D-HI) and Ed Markey (D-MA) in unveiling comprehensive federal online privacy legislation to establish digital rules of the road that companies must follow. The Consumer Online Privacy Rights Act (COPRA) gives Americans control over their personal data; prohibits companies from using consumers’ data to harm or deceive them; establishes strict standards for the collection, use, sharing, and protection of consumer data; protects civil rights; and penalizes companies that fail to meet data protection standards.

In May, Klobuchar partnered with Senators John Kennedy (R-LA), Joe Manchin (D-WV), and Richard Burr (R-NC) to introduce the Social Media Privacy Protection and Consumer Rights Act to enhance data privacy protections by ensuring companies give consumers control over how their personal data is being used. Specifically, the bill gives the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general the tools they need to hold big tech companies accountable for misuse of consumers’ data. The bill also increases transparency and requires companies to have privacy security programs.

As Chairwoman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights, last week Klobuchar chaired a hearing on the big data economy, highlighting how the use of big data affects and can threaten competition.

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