The Senate is gearing up to deliberate on legislation this week that seeks to safeguard children from harmful online content, marking a potential significant shift in tech industry regulations. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is poised to introduce the bipartisan bill in the Senate, aiming for its passage before the August recess. Despite months of delay, the legislation garnered support from over two-thirds of the Senate, with families of children impacted by online bullying advocating for its enactment.
Schumer emphasized the bill's potential to 'change and save lives,' echoing concerns raised by parent advocates regarding the need for social media and tech companies to take more proactive measures in preventing suicides and other traumas experienced by children and teenagers online.
The proposed online safety bill, along with a separate bill to update child online privacy laws, represents the first major tech regulation package in years. While there is bipartisan consensus on the necessity of increased scrutiny on tech giants, the specifics of such regulation have been a point of contention. Earlier this year, Congress passed a law targeting TikTok, a Chinese-owned social media platform, for potential sale or ban.
The bill's fate in the House remains uncertain, but a strong bipartisan Senate vote could exert pressure on House Speaker Mike Johnson to consider it before the November election or the session's end in January.
The child safety legislation, a result of collaboration between Senators Richard Blumenthal and Marsha Blackburn, aims to hold companies more accountable for content accessible to minors while balancing the need to avoid excessive regulation of individual posts. The bill introduces a 'duty of care' requiring companies to take reasonable steps to prevent harm to minors on their platforms.
To achieve this, social media platforms would need to offer minors privacy protection options, disable addictive features, and limit interactions with other users. The bill also mandates platforms to default to the safest settings for accounts believed to belong to minors, promoting a 'safe by design' approach.
Support for the bill has been voiced by tech companies like Microsoft, X, and Snap, while opponents raise concerns about potential First Amendment violations and restricted access to information on LGBTQ issues or reproductive rights. The legislation has undergone revisions to address these concerns, garnering support from major LGBTQ groups.
In addition to the online safety bill, the Senate will also review bipartisan online privacy legislation by Senators Ed Markey and Bill Cassidy. This legislation aims to update existing laws prohibiting online companies from collecting personal information from users under 13 by raising the age limit to 17, banning targeted advertising to users under 17, and allowing teens or guardians to delete a minor's personal information.
