Following Meta Settlement, Markey Calls on Congress to Pass His COPPA 2.0 Legislation and the Youth AI Privacy Act to Hold Big Tech Accountable for Children’s Privacy

Meta settlement comes in part due to violations of Markey’s Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) Boston (August 27, 2026) - Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), member of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, today called on Congress to pass his Children and Teens’ Online Privacy and Protection Act (COPPA 2.0) legislation which would update data privacy regulations for the 21st century to ensure children and teenagers are protected online, as well as his Youth AI Privacy Act, which would require AI companies to build privacy safeguards for minors into their AI chatbots in the wake of the Meta settlement with State Attorneys General to pay $18 billion, including up to $516 million to Massachusetts. Meta is now required to implement various child-safety measures on its platforms. “Big Tech’s day of reckoning is here. This settlement sends a message every boardroom in Silicon Valley should hear: our children are not collateral damage to bolster Big Tech’s bottom line. I am proud that my original law, the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act , helped hold Meta accountable, but we cannot stop here. In this emerging age of artificial intelligence, Big Tech is finding more ways to exploit our children’s data and manipulate their emotions for profit, making them and an entire generation sicker. Congress must pass my Youth AI Privacy Act to protect kids using AI chatbots and pass COPPA 2.0 to update my original law. We cannot rely on courts alone to secure strong protections for our kids’ privacy and safety — Congress must act.” In August, Senator Markey celebrated the passage of his Youth AI Privacy Act unanimously through the Senate Commerce Committee. Senator Markey’s COPPA 2.0 passed through the Senate unanimously in March 2026. Senator Markey is the original House author of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) , passed in 1998. Also in March, Senator Markey released a statement after Meta and Google were found liable in a social media addiction lawsuit. ###