The new legislation significantly updates a decades-old law to safeguard children’s safety on the internet.
The Senate has cleared procedural hurdles for two bills that protect children’s safety and privacy online, readying them for a floor vote with a guaranteed passage next Tuesday.
“Today, the Senate takes a groundbreaking step towards ensuring our kids’ online safety, a.k.a. social media,” said Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), who has been instrumental in pushing the bills to a floor vote before the summer recess.
“The bills will provide the appropriate guardrails necessary to protect kids against online threats. It’s not an exaggeration to say these bills will be the most important updates in decades to federal laws that protect kids on the Internet. And it’s a very good first step,” he added.
Specifically, KOSA addresses tech companies’ algorithms for keeping users consuming content. It requires tech companies to allow minors to limit the category of recommendations or opt out of personalized recommendation systems that facilitate infinite scrolling.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-K.Y.), the only one who voted “no” to advance the bills, objected to KOSA, citing that the bill was too broad and that it would create a Kids Online Safety Council that he considered as “speech police.” He said KOSA would cause “fear of liability, fear of lawsuits” and lead to self-censorship by social media platforms, which in turn, would stifle freedom of speech.
Mr. Schumer saluted the parents who lost their children due to online harm and worked with him to help carry the bills to the finish line.
“It’s been an honor to get to know these wonderful Americans over the past few months. We’ve met together, felt pain together. We’ve cried together,” he said.
He praised the parents for “turning their grief into grace” and demanding change.
Maurine Molak, co-founder of David’s Legacy Foundation and Parents for Safe Online Spaces (ParentsSOS), was present during the procedural vote. After losing her 16-year-old son to suicide after he experienced cyberbullying, she founded the organizations to advocate for social media companies to take more responsibility in preventing and mitigating online harm to children.
“What a great day,” she told The Epoch Times. “Today the survivor parents made history. We are thrilled that we are one step closer to passage. The memories of our children were with us today, and they are celebrating with us.”
Like COPPA, if the two bills become law, they will be enforced by the Federal Trade Commission.
Inter-Agency Task Force
Last year, the Biden administration established an inter-agency task force to focus on the subject. On July 22, the group issued its first report with recommendations for families, the tech industry, and policymakers for young people’s safety and health.
Although the report doesn’t specify any bills, it recommends “enacting bipartisan federal legislation to protect youth health, safety, and privacy online.” A key recommendation for families is creating a family media plan, including setting screen-free zones and times, and often discussing social media experiences.
According to the report, about 95 percent of teenagers and 40 percent of children between eight and 12 years old use some form of social media.
The House Energy and Commerce Committee still needs to advance the bills in the lower chamber.