The Senate, on a broad bipartisan basis, advanced two online safety bills on Thursday, compelling social media companies to take responsibility for their platforms’ impact on children and teens. Parents and advocates have demanded these measures for years. The bills cleared a critical procedural hurdle with an 86-1 vote, setting the stage for a final vote next week.
“Big Tech, we no longer trust you to make decisions for us,” said Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal, one of the bills’ sponsors. “Car manufacturers must install seatbelts and airbags. The same must apply to social media companies.”
However, the bills’ future remains uncertain in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, which has recessed until September.
The Kids Online Safety Act explicitly outlines a “duty of care” for social media companies regarding minors using their products, focusing on platform design and company regulation. This bill would require social media platforms to enable options for minors to protect their information and disable addictive features by default, preventing and mitigating dangers to minors, including suicide and disordered eating.
The Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act would ban targeted advertising to minors and data collection without their consent. It would also give parents and kids the option to delete their information from social media platforms. Nicknamed KOSA and COPPA 2.0, respectively, these bills represent the first major move to ensure children’s safety online since COPPA was initially passed in 1998, before the advent of smartphones.
The bills would also allow researchers greater insight into companies’ algorithms and their impact on children online. Kris Perry, executive director of Children and Screens, a research nonprofit, emphasized the need to make digital products safer and enhance understanding of children’s digital lives.
Some tech companies have publicly supported congressional efforts to protect children online, with major players like Microsoft Corp and Snap Inc expressing support. Meta Platforms, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, stated that while it supports standards for kids and teens online, federal law should require app stores to seek parental approval for downloads by users under age 16.
The Biden administration backed the bills on Thursday, urging lawmakers to send them to President Biden to sign into law “without delay.”
