The Senate recently passed two important bills to improve online safety for children and give parents more control over online activities.
The two bills, Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) and Children’s and Teens Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA 2.0), are significant steps to regulate social media’s impact on children and teens. The Senate approved them with a 91-3 vote.
Senators Richard Blumenthal and Marsha Blackburn created KOSA to help families avoid harmful online content and hold big tech companies accountable. KOSA will require social media companies to protect users under 17 better, give parents more control, and make it easier to report harmful content.
COPPA 2.0, written by Senators Ed Markey and Bill Cassidy, aims to enhance online privacy for children and teens. It will ban targeted ads for young users and allow parents and kids to delete personal information from online platforms.
President Joe Biden has already signed a bill to ban TikTok unless its Chinese owner sells it, showing support for stricter social media regulations.
Some tech companies like Microsoft and Snap support KOSA, while Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, suggested improvements.
However, some groups, like the American Civil Liberties Union, worry that the bills could lead to censorship.
Senator Ron Wyden, who voted against the bills, expressed concerns that the legislation might be misused against privacy-protecting technologies, such as Virtual Private Networks (VPNs).
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer praised the cooperation that led to the bills’ passage and emphasized their importance for kids’ online safety. He urged the House to act quickly when they return from recess.
In the House, there is interest in reviewing and possibly amending the bills. Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers plans to move forward with the legislation.
Meanwhile, House Speaker Mike Johnson is optimistic about passing the bills but wants to resolve some details first, ensuring that the bills are truly passed in good faith.
According to MSNBC, KOSA was developed after emotional hearings where parents shared how social media had harmed their children. Senators demanded apologies and changes from social media executives. Parents played a key role in advocating for these protections by sharing their stories and urging lawmakers to act.
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