U.S. Senate Passes Landmark Bill to Protect Children Online

Legislation to protect kids online passes Senate by overwhelming majority

The Senate overwhelmingly passed legislation Tuesday that is designed to protect children from dangerous online content, pushing forward with what would be the first major effort by Congress in decades to hold tech companies more accountable for the harm that they cause. The bill, which passed 91-3, has been pushed by parents of children who died by suicide after online bullying or have otherwise been harmed by online content. It would force companies to take reasonable steps to prevent harm on online platforms frequently used by minors, requiring them to exercise "duty of care" and ensure that they generally default to the safest settings possible. The House has not yet acted on the bill. Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has said he is "committed to working to find consensus," but has not said whether he will bring it to the floor for a vote. Supporters are hoping that the strong Senate vote will push the House to act before the end of the congressional session in January. President Joe Biden encouraged the House to send the legislation to his desk "without delay." "Today our children are subjected to a wild west online and our current laws and regulations are insufficient to prevent this," Biden said. "It is past time to act." The legislation is about allowing children, teens and parents "to take back control of their lives online," said Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, who wrote the bill with Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee. He said that the message to big tech companies is that "we no longer trust you to make decisions for us." The bill would be the first major tech regulation package to move in years, and it could potentially pave the way for other bills that would strengthen online privacy laws or set parameters for the growing use of artificial intelligence, among others. While there has long been bipartisan support for the idea that the biggest technology companies should face more government scrutiny, there has been little consensus on how it should be done. Congress passed legislation earlier this year that would force China-based social media company TikTok to sell or face a ban, but that law only targets one company. "This is a good first step, but we have more to go," said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. If the child safety bill becomes law, companies would be required to mitigate harm to children, including bullying and violence, the promotion of suicide, eating disorders, substance abuse, sexual exploitation and advertisements for illegal products such as narcotics, tobacco or alcohol. To do that, social media platforms would have to provide minors with options to protect their information, disable addictive product features and opt out of personalized algorithmic recommendations. They would also be required to limit other users from communicating with children and limit features that "increase, sustain, or extend the use" of the platform -- such as autoplay for videos or platform rewards. The idea, Blumenthal and Blackburn say, is for the platforms to be "safe by design." "The message we are sending to big tech is that kids are not your product," Blackburn said at a news conference as the Senate passed the bill. "Kids are not your profit source." Several tech companies, including Microsoft, X and Snap, have supported the legislation. But there was also criticism that signaled a potential lobbying campaign aimed at the House. Carl Szabo, a vice president and counsel for NetChoice, a a tech industry group that represents X and Snap, along with Google, TikTok and Meta Platforms, said in a statement that the law's "cybersecurity, censorship, and constitutional risks remain unaddressed." He did not elaborate. And Meta Platforms, which owns Facebook and Instagram, said in a statement that it supports the development of standards but it would instead prefer legislation to require app stores to get parents' approval when teenagers download apps. Blumenthal and Blackburn have said they wanted to put the burden on companies, not parents. And they have also worked to find a balance between forcing companies to become more responsible for what children see online while also ensuring that Congress does not go too far in regulating what individuals post -- an effort to head off potential legal challenges over freedom of expression. But some critics say the bill still goes too far. The American Civil Liberties Union said the bill could threaten users' privacy and compared it to "book bans and classroom censorship laws." "The House must block this dangerous bill before it's too late," said Jenna Leventoff, a senior policy counsel at the ACLU. Some advocacy groups have also expressed concerns that the bill could harm kids who wouldn't be able to access information on LGBTQ+ issues or reproductive rights -- although the bill has been revised to address some of those criticisms, and major LGBTQ+ groups are not opposing the legislation. Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden, a fierce and longtime advocate for freedom of speech online, said he voted against the bill because of concerns about the censorship of health information for LGBTQ+ teens and the potential for lawsuits against encryption services that help young people stay safe from predators. The bill also includes an update to child privacy laws that prohibit online companies from collecting personal information from users under 13, raising that age to 17. It would also ban targeted advertising to teenagers and provide what lawmakers call an "eraser button" to delete a minor's personal information. Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey, sponsored the original legislation in 1998 -- the last time Congress passed a child online safety law -- and worked with Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana on the update. Markey said that the online space "has come a long way" since the first bill and new tools are needed for parents as teens have struggled with mental health. As their bill stalled for several months, Blumenthal and Blackburn worked closely with the parents of children who have been harmed by social media -- either by cyberbullying or social media challenges, extortion attempts, eating disorders, drug deals or other potential dangers. Maurine Molak, the mother of a 16-year-old who died by suicide after "months of relentless and threatening cyberbullying," said she believes the bill can save lives. She urged every senator to vote for it. "Anyone who believes that children's well-being and safety should come before big tech's greed ought to put their mark on this historic legislation," Molak said.

U.S. Senate passes bill to protect kids online and make tech companies accountable for harmful content

The Senate overwhelmingly passed legislation Tuesday that is designed to protect children from dangerous online content, pushing forward with what would be the first major effort by Congress in decades to hold tech companies more accountable for the harm that they cause. The bill, which passed 91-3, has been pushed by parents of children who died by suicide after online bullying or have otherwise been harmed by online content. It would force companies to take reasonable steps to prevent harm on online platforms frequently used by minors, requiring them to exercise "duty of care" and ensure that they generally default to the safest settings possible. The House has not yet acted on the bill. Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has said he is "committed to working to find consensus," but has not said whether he will bring it to the floor for a vote. Supporters are hoping that the strong Senate vote will push the House to act before the end of the congressional session in January. President Joe Biden encouraged the House to send the legislation to his desk "without delay." "Today our children are subjected to a wild west online and our current laws and regulations are insufficient to prevent this," Biden said. "It is past time to act." U.S. Senate set to pass major online child safety reforms (Unravel the complexities of our digital world on The Interface podcast, where business leaders and scientists share insights that shape tomorrow's innovation. The Interface is also available on YouTube, Apple Podcasts and Spotify.) The legislation is about allowing children, teens and parents "to take back control of their lives online," said Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, who wrote the bill with Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee. He said that the message to big tech companies is that "we no longer trust you to make decisions for us." The bill would be the first major tech regulation package to move in years, and it could potentially pave the way for other bills that would strengthen online privacy laws or set parameters for the growing use of artificial intelligence, among others. While there has long been bipartisan support for the idea that the biggest technology companies should face more government scrutiny, there has been little consensus on how it should be done. Congress passed legislation earlier this year that would force China-based social media company TikTok to sell or face a ban, but that law only targets one company. "This is a good first step, but we have more to go," said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. If the child safety bill becomes law, companies would be required to mitigate harm to children, including bullying and violence, the promotion of suicide, eating disorders, substance abuse, sexual exploitation and advertisements for illegal products such as narcotics, tobacco or alcohol. To do that, social media platforms would have to provide minors with options to protect their information, disable addictive product features and opt out of personalised algorithmic recommendations. They would also be required to limit other users from communicating with children and limit features that "increase, sustain, or extend the use" of the platform -- such as auto-play for videos or platform rewards. The idea, Blumenthal and Blackburn say, is for the platforms to be "safe by design." "The message we are sending to big tech is that kids are not your product," Blackburn said at a news conference as the Senate passed the bill. "Kids are not your profit source." Several tech companies, including Microsoft, X and Snap, have supported the legislation. But there was also criticism that signalled a potential lobbying campaign aimed at the House. Carl Szabo, a vice president and counsel for NetChoice, a a tech industry group that represents X and Snap, along with Google, TikTok and Meta Platforms, said in a statement that the law's "cybersecurity, censorship, and constitutional risks remain unaddressed." He did not elaborate. And Meta Platforms, which owns Facebook and Instagram, said in a statement that it supports the development of standards but it would instead prefer legislation to require app stores to get parents' approval when teenagers download apps. Blumenthal and Blackburn have said they wanted to put the burden on companies, not parents. And they have also worked to find a balance between forcing companies to become more responsible for what children see online while also ensuring that Congress does not go too far in regulating what individuals post -- an effort to head off potential legal challenges over freedom of expression. But some critics say the bill still goes too far. The American Civil Liberties Union said the bill could threaten users' privacy and compared it to "book bans and classroom censorship laws." "The House must block this dangerous bill before it's too late," said Jenna Leventoff, a senior policy counsel at the ACLU. Some advocacy groups have also expressed concerns that the bill could harm kids who wouldn't be able to access information on LGBTQ+ issues or reproductive rights -- although the bill has been revised to address some of those criticisms, and major LGBTQ+ groups are not opposing the legislation. Keeping children safe on social media: What parents should know to protect their kids Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden, a fierce and longtime advocate for freedom of speech online, said he voted against the bill because of concerns about the censorship of health information for LGBTQ+ teens and the potential for lawsuits against encryption services that help young people stay safe from predators. The bill also includes an update to child privacy laws that prohibit online companies from collecting personal information from users under 13, raising that age to 17. It would also ban targeted advertising to teenagers and provide what lawmakers call an "eraser button" to delete a minor's personal information. Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey, sponsored the original legislation in 1998 -- the last time Congress passed a child online safety law -- and worked with Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana on the update. Markey said that the online space "has come a long way" since the first bill and new tools are needed for parents as teens have struggled with mental health. As their bill stalled for several months, Blumenthal and Blackburn worked closely with the parents of children who have been harmed by social media -- either by cyberbullying or social media challenges, extortion attempts, eating disorders, drug deals or other potential dangers. Maurine Molak, the mother of a 16-year-old who died by suicide after "months of relentless and threatening cyberbullying," said she believes the bill can save lives. She urged every senator to vote for it. "Anyone who believes that children's well-being and safety should come before big tech's greed ought to put their mark on this historic legislation," Molak said. Read Comments

Senate passes bills to protect kids online

The Senate voted to pass two bills aimed at boosting safety and privacy for kids online in a broad bipartisan vote Tuesday after months of mounting pressure from advocates. The Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) and Children's Online Privacy Protection Action (COPPA) 2.0 together would create regulations governing the features tech and social media companies offer to minors online and the way they use young users' data. The bills passed by a 91-3 vote. Sens. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) voted against the bills. In a floor speech before the final vote, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), a lead sponsor of KOSA, said the bill does not block content but creates an environment for young users that is "safe by design." "At its core this bill is a product design bill," Blumenthal said, likening it to requirements for seat belts and airbags in cars, or choking warnings on toys with small parts. "This society steps forward to make products safer, putting people and particularly children over product, and that is what we are requiring social media to do," he added. The Senate's passage of the bills followed years of pressure from children's online safety advocates to regulate social media's impact on youth mental health and its potentially addictive features. The pressure led to a series of hearings, including ones featuring the CEOs of tech companies, as advocates pressured Congress to put regulations in place. KOSA creates a duty of care for social media platforms to prevent and mitigate harm to minors, such as that caused by content promoting self-harm, suicide, eating disorders and substance abuse. COPPA 2.0 would add data privacy measures including the ban of targeted advertising to teens and kids online. Children's online safety advocates, including parent advocates who lost their children to cyberbullying and other online harms, cheered the Senate vote on Tuesday. But the bills still need to pass in the House, and the timeline for legislative action is dwindling, especially ahead of a contentious election. President Biden issued a statement in support of the bill after it passed and urged the House to send it to his desk to sign "without delay." He underscored the need for regulations given the rise of artificial intelligence (AI). "The last time Congress took meaningful action to protect children and teenagers online was in 1998 - before the ubiquity of social media and smartphones. Our kids have been waiting too long for the safety and privacy protections they deserve and which this bill would provide. This is more important than ever with the growing use of AI," Biden said in a statement. KOSA still faces some opposition, mainly centered on concerns some tech industry groups and advocacy groups raised that the bill would pose issues of censorship online or limit minors from accessing information about sensitive topics, including about gender identity or reproductive health.