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As students across Pennsylvania have returned to school, safe and responsible social media use will soon be taught alongside math and reading. State Representative Jim Prokopiak's Social Media Literacy Bill, folded into the state budget to incorporate social media literacy into academic standards, is another win in the fight to help kids navigate the digital world safely.
As a mother, I know firsthand how technology shapes our students' lives and the urgent need for commonsense safeguards that protect kids. Finally, lawmakers in Harrisburg and on Capitol Hill are passing meaningful online safety legislation for the first time in decades.
In Congress, the Kids Online Safety Act (S.1748), co-sponsored by Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman, passed overwhelmingly out of the Senate Commerce Committee in a landmark victory to give parents genuine tools to manage their kids' online experience. Senator Fetterman, along with bill sponsor Marsha Blackburn, deserves real credit for getting it there.
But Congress's job isn't finished. KOSA's protections only kick in once a potentially harmful app is already downloaded. To protect kids at the gateway to the online world and not just after the fact, Congress should also pass the App Store Accountability Act (S. 1586). Together, these two bills form a complete picture: one holds platforms accountable, the other gives parents control at the app store-level.
Cosponsoring the App Store Accountability Act would complete that picture and cement Senator Fetterman's legacy as a true champion for Pennsylvania's kids.
DORI BARRY
Hummelstown
Submitted by Virtual Newsroom