Connect with us

Louisiana

US Senate passes bill by Louisiana’s Bill Cassidy restricting how social media targets youth

Published

on

US Senate passes bill by Louisiana’s Bill Cassidy restricting how social media targets youth


WASHINGTON — A bipartisan U.S. Senate on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved a historic package of restrictions — co-sponsored by a Louisiana senator — that cracks down on how social media companies interact with children and teenagers.

A pair of bills were merged and passed on a 91-3 vote that would require social media platforms to take steps to prevent online exploitation, such as cyberbullying, body shaming and sexual recruiting. The legislation also would expand existing privacy protections to forbid the collection of personal data from children under the age of 16.

The legislation still must clear the U.S. House before heading to the president’s desk.

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton, said Tuesday he generally backs the legislation. President Joe Biden has indicated he would sign it into law.

Advertisement

“The internet is an integral part of children’s lives today. It is time our laws reflect this new reality,” said Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-Baton Rouge. “These bills provide parents the tools to safeguard their kids online.”

He was one of the two main sponsors for the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, called COPPA 2.0. Along with expanding existing parental consents on data collection, COPPA 2.0 bans advertising targeted at youth.

The bill builds on a law passed in the 1990s primarily sponsored by then-Rep. Billy Tauzin, R-Chackbay, and Sen. Edward Markey, D-Massachusetts.

Cassidy also was a co-sponsor of Kids Online Safety Act, or KOSA, which would require online platforms to take reasonable steps to prevent harm to users.

The bills arose as parents began questioning the connection between online usage and increased suicide and other anti-social behavior among their children.

Advertisement

The American Academy of Pediatrics has declared children’s mental health has become a national emergency. The federal Centers for Disease Control & Prevention found that in 2021, one in three high school girls contemplated suicide.

Cassidy blamed digital platforms which collect data from users and then compile algorithms that target advertising and content at specific individuals. He pointed to studies that linked online usage to increased dangerous behavior by children. He also noted that a Harvard University study in 2022 calculated that the major platforms earned about $11 billion from selling data-driven advertising and content that targeted U.S. users under the age of 17.

The effort to pass online restrictions for children bogged down as Big Tech argued the provisions violated First Amendment rights.

Cassidy countered that accepted law has long allowed for marketing carve-outs for the First Amendment, such as a ban on advertising cigarettes to youth.

Markey, who cosponsored COPPA 2.0 with Cassidy, said the bill updated 1990s legislation addressing children’s television programming that essentially was just advertising goods to kids. Markey said he and Tauzin added parameters as the digital sphere expanded. The new bills would provide updates to reflect the way social media does business now.

Advertisement

“The United States Senate will finally send a message to Big Tech that the days of indiscriminately tracking and targeting children and teens are over in our country. That their privacy-invasive business models must change,” Markey said.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, said “this moment is when the Senate said, ‘There have been horrible abuses. We must end them, and we will.’”

Schumer lauded the bipartisan effort to overcome opposition and get the long-stalled package moving again.

“The House should pass these bills as soon as they can,” he said.

Johnson said in a statement shortly after the Senate vote that he’s committed to finding consensus in the House.

Advertisement

“I am looking forward to reviewing the details of the legislation that comes out of the Senate,” he said. “Parents should have greater control and the necessary tools to protect their kids online.”

Louisiana’s junior senator, John N. Kennedy, R-Madisonville, was among the 91 senators backing the legislation. The three “no” votes were Sens Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, Mike Lee, R-Utah, and Ron Wyden, D-Oregon.



Source link

Louisiana

Louisiana Lottery Powerball, Pick 3 results for Jan. 3, 2026

Published

on


The Louisiana Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Jan. 3, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from Jan. 3 drawing

18-21-40-53-60, Powerball: 23, Power Play: 3

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 3 numbers from Jan. 3 drawing

0-9-4

Advertisement

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 4 numbers from Jan. 3 drawing

3-0-6-9

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 5 numbers from Jan. 3 drawing

8-7-5-3-0

Check Pick 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Advertisement

Winning Easy 5 numbers from Jan. 3 drawing

12-18-20-29-34

Check Easy 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lotto numbers from Jan. 3 drawing

01-14-18-20-27-41

Check Lotto payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Advertisement

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

All Louisiana Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $600. For prizes over $600, winners can submit winning tickets through the mail or in person at Louisiana Lottery offices. Prizes of over $5,000 must be claimed at Lottery office.

By mail, follow these instructions:

  1. Sign and complete the information on the back of your winning ticket, ensuring all barcodes are clearly visible (remove all scratch-off material from scratch-off tickets).
  2. Photocopy the front and back of the ticket (except for Powerball and Mega Millions tickets, as photocopies are not accepted for these games).
  3. Complete the Louisiana Lottery Prize Claim Form, including your telephone number and mailing address for prize check processing.
  4. Photocopy your valid driver’s license or current picture identification.

Mail all of the above in a single envelope to:

Louisiana Lottery Headquarters

555 Laurel Street

Baton Rouge, LA 70801

Advertisement

To submit in person, visit Louisiana Lottery headquarters:

555 Laurel Street, Baton Rouge, LA 70801, (225) 297-2000.

Hours: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes of any amount.

Check previous winning numbers and payouts at Louisiana Lottery.

When are the Louisiana Lottery drawings held?

  • Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
  • Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT Tuesday and Friday.
  • Pick 3, Pick 4 and Pick 5: Daily at 9:59 p.m. CT.
  • Easy 5: 9:59 p.m. CT Wednesday and Saturday.
  • Lotto: 9:59 p.m. CT Wednesday and Saturday.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Louisiana editor. You can send feedback using this form.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Louisiana

Louisiana Lottery Pick 3, Pick 4 results for Dec. 28, 2025

Published

on


The Louisiana Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Dec. 28, 2025, results for each game:

Winning Pick 3 numbers from Dec. 28 drawing

9-7-6

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 4 numbers from Dec. 28 drawing

9-0-5-0

Advertisement

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 5 numbers from Dec. 28 drawing

3-3-8-8-8

Check Pick 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

All Louisiana Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $600. For prizes over $600, winners can submit winning tickets through the mail or in person at Louisiana Lottery offices. Prizes of over $5,000 must be claimed at Lottery office.

Advertisement

By mail, follow these instructions:

  1. Sign and complete the information on the back of your winning ticket, ensuring all barcodes are clearly visible (remove all scratch-off material from scratch-off tickets).
  2. Photocopy the front and back of the ticket (except for Powerball and Mega Millions tickets, as photocopies are not accepted for these games).
  3. Complete the Louisiana Lottery Prize Claim Form, including your telephone number and mailing address for prize check processing.
  4. Photocopy your valid driver’s license or current picture identification.

Mail all of the above in a single envelope to:

Louisiana Lottery Headquarters

555 Laurel Street

Baton Rouge, LA 70801

To submit in person, visit Louisiana Lottery headquarters:

Advertisement

555 Laurel Street, Baton Rouge, LA 70801, (225) 297-2000.

Hours: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes of any amount.

Check previous winning numbers and payouts at Louisiana Lottery.

When are the Louisiana Lottery drawings held?

  • Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
  • Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT Tuesday and Friday.
  • Pick 3, Pick 4 and Pick 5: Daily at 9:59 p.m. CT.
  • Easy 5: 9:59 p.m. CT Wednesday and Saturday.
  • Lotto: 9:59 p.m. CT Wednesday and Saturday.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Louisiana editor. You can send feedback using this form.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Louisiana

Kyla Oldacre and Madison Booker lead No. 2 Texas over Southeastern Louisiana 120-38

Published

on

Kyla Oldacre and Madison Booker lead No. 2 Texas over Southeastern Louisiana 120-38


AUSTIN, Texas — Senior Kyla Oldacre scored a career-high 22 points and Madison Booker added 20 to help No. 2 Texas finish its non-conference schedule undefeated with a 120-38 victory over Southeastern Louisiana on Sunday.

Texas (15-0) has won 34 straight home games. First-half scoring bursts of 26-0 and 21-0 secured the victory early.

The Longhorns scored 68 points in the paint against an opponent that used no player taller than six feet in its rotation. The 6-6 Oldacre hit 9 of 10 shots from the field and 4 of 5 free throws in 19 minutes off the bench.

A starting lineup that includes four guards did not help the Lady Lions avoid ball-handling and passing mistakes. They committed 30 turnovers that Texas converted into 50 points. Twenty turnovers came in the first half before Texas pulled out of its full-court defense.

Advertisement

Jordan Lee scored 16 for Texas, including four 3-pointers. Breya Cunningham and Bryanna Preston each scored 12, with Preston also producing three of the Longhorns’ 16 steals. Rori Harmon had six assists and no turnovers, increasing her string to 57 and three over the last six games.

Eryn McKinzie led Southeastern Louisiana (2-8) with 13 points. The 38 points scored by the Lady Lions is their second-lowest production this season. They lost to LSU 115-26 on Nov. 6.

Texas beat nationally ranked UCLA, South Carolina, North Carolina and Baylor, using a seven-player rotation that was missing the injured Ashton Judd, Aaliyah Crump and Bryanna Preston. Judd and Preston have returned, but Crump, a freshman who averaged 13 points in her first five games, missed the last 10 with a foot injury.

Southeastern Louisiana guard Eryn McKinzie (3) is defended by Texas guard Ashton Judd (21) and forward Teya Sidberry (32) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Austin, Texas. Credit: AP/Stephen Spillman

Up Next

Southeastern Louisiana is at Incarnate Word on Wednesday.

Advertisement

Texas is at Missouri on Thursday.



Source link

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending