I contacted both Dianne Feinstein's and Alex Padilla's offices but only heard back from Padilla. I'm adding his response to me below:


Dear Ms. Gxxxx

Thank you for writing to share your thoughts regarding online safety for children and teens. I appreciate hearing from you.

Our children are among the most vulnerable members of our society, and I strongly believe that we have an obligation to care for their mental and physical well-being. Digital platforms have become key spaces for education, socialization, and entertainment for young people, and it is important that they are able to utilize these services safely.

The “Kids Online Safety Act” (S.1409), introduced by Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), seeks to provide young people and their parents with tools, safeguards, and information that would be helpful to safely navigate online services. This bill would require internet companies to act in the best interests of the minors that use their platforms and would require platforms to be independently audited by experts to assess their risk to minors. This bill passed the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on July 27, 2023, and it is currently awaiting consideration by the full Senate.

I understand you have concerns that this bill may negatively impact individual privacy and freedom of expression online, especially for diverse communities. Please know that I appreciate hearing your perspective on this issue, and I will keep your thoughts in mind should this bill or similar legislation come before the full Senate for a vote.

Once again, thank you for writing. Should you have any other questions or comments, please call my Washington, D.C. office at (202) 224-3553 or visit my website at padilla.senate.gov. You can also follow me on Facebook and Twitter, and you can sign up for my email newsletter at padilla.senate.gov/newsletter.

It's the most milqtoast "nothing to see here" response I've seen in a while.