WASHINGTON, D.C.
– U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) today participated via Skype in a Commerce Committee hearing providing oversight of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The FTC is tasked with protecting consumers of all ages across a wide range of industries, while also ensuring that those industries and their marketplaces remain vibrant.

HIGHLIGHTS
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PROTECTING CHILDREN ONLINE
: “In 2015, I launched my West Virginia Girls Rise Up program to encourage young women to take on leadership roles and to build and encourage the future leaders in America. There was a recent Wall Street Journal article that referenced a study that found 78% of fifth through eighth graders, girls in particular, feel more lonely and isolated during this pandemic time, and certainly understandably so. It was also quoted that girls ages 10-14 are spending four or more hours a day on TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram to stay connected. As children and teens turn to kore social media platforms to stay connected, what is the Commission doing to ensure that companies who collect user data are not violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA)?”

MADE IN AMERICA
: “I know there has been some lack of clarity in terms of what does ‘Made in America’ mean? What does it mean to you? What does it mean to a consumer’s perception? I know you do studies on that. Where are we on that, Made in America? Obviously, again, during this pandemic, we saw our PPE was being made in China. Lack of availability was very frustrating. We’re going to try to do something about that here in our next CARES package.”

 

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