A bipartisan group of lawmakers in Washington, D.C., has been working on ways to better protect kids online by giving parents the right to receive safety notifications through Federal Trade Commission-regulated third-party providers.

Versions of Sammy’s Law, introduced in both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, are meant to help alert parents when their children are taking part in potentially risky interactions. U.S. Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, has joined Sens. Mark Warner, D-Va., and Katie Britt, R-Ala.; along with U.S. Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., and Buddy Carter, R-Ga., in bringing the measure to members of Congress.

“In Ohio and across the country, criminals are using social media to target our children — selling them dangerous drugs and exploiting them through sextortion while trying to bypass parents and other trusted adults,” Husted said. “Tragically, teenagers Sammy Chapman from California and James Wood from Ohio are two of many young people who’ve fallen victim to these predators. Parents deserve to know what their kids are exposed to online and have the ability to protect them and save lives. Sammy’s Law would put that authority back where it belongs — with families — and give parents the tools they need to keep their children safe.”

The bill requires social media platforms with either 100 million monthly active users or that garner $1 billion in gross revenue per year to make real-time application programming interfaces accessible to FTC-registered third-party safety software providers. It would require alerts to parents when 15 specific instances or phrases arise that indicate eating disorders, suicidal ideation and sexual harassment.

Marc Berkman, CEO of the Organization for Social Media Safety, called the introduction in the Senate of Sammy’s Law “a major step toward protecting children on social media.

“Through our work with families and schools nationwide, we have seen that third-party safety software saves young lives. This legislation will help protect children from severe social media-related harms like cyberbullying, sextortion and drug trafficking while also strengthening privacy protections,” he said.

Given the wide range of supporters for Sammy’s Law, it will surely move quickly, with enthusiastic support, as there is no time to waste.