New protections for children are on their way to becoming law thanks to new legislation passed by the House Tuesday morning. Rep. Mari Leavitt, D-University Place, introduced House Bill 2442 which was approved by the House in a near unanimous 96-1 vote. The legislation puts into place restrictions on advertising of specific products to minors and restricts sale of personal information of data. Minors can also request information posted online be removed, something wanted by children and parents.
“In an increasingly digital world, children are increasingly becoming targets of advertising, often for harmful products like alcohol, vapor, or age-inappropriate materials,” said Leavitt. “We cannot allow companies to use data taken from our children to market directly to them, particularly for products that we want kids to avoid. This is a great step in protecting our children while still maintaining their access to information and developing the digital literacy required for the 21st century.”
The bill requires protections for all children under the age of 18, protecting significantly more children than the federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 (COPPA) which limits its requirements to apply to those children under the age of 13.
House Bill 2442 now heads to the Senate for its consideration.