Senate set to pass bipartisan bill to protect children’s online safety

WASHINGTON — The Senate on Tuesday is expected to pass legislation aimed at protecting children from harmful online content, moving forward with what would be the first major congressional effort in decades to hold technology companies more accountable for the harm they cause.

The bill has broad bipartisan support and was promoted by parents of children who died by suicide after online bullying. It would force companies to take reasonable steps to prevent harm on online platforms frequently used by minors, requiring them to exercise “duty due diligence” and ensure they generally adopt the safest settings possible.

Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, who wrote the bill with Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, said the bill aims to allow children, teens and parents to take back control of their online lives, “and to tell big technologies, we no longer trust you to make decisions for us.”

See more information: For teens, saving each other on social media is a team effort

The House has not yet acted on the bill, but House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said he will review the bill and try to find consensus. Supporters hope that a strong vote in the Senate — a test vote last week advanced the bill with an 86-1 vote — would prompt the House to act.

If the bill becomes law, companies will be required to mitigate harm to children, including bullying and violence, promoting suicide, eating disorders, substance abuse, sexual exploitation and advertising. to illegal products such as narcotics, tobacco or alcohol.

To do this, social media platforms would have to provide minors with options to protect their information, disable addictive product features, and opt out of receiving personalized algorithmic recommendations. They would also be required to limit other users’ communications with children and limit features that “enhance, sustain or extend the use” of the platform – such as auto-playing videos or platform rewards.

The idea, say Blumenthal and Blackburn, is that platforms are “secure by design.”

While drafting the bill, the two senators worked to find a balance in which companies become more responsible for what children see online while ensuring that Congress does not go too far in regulating what individuals post. — an effort to appease lawmakers in both parties who fear the regulation could impose freedom of expression and also open a potential law to legal challenges.

In addition to First Amendment concerns, some critics have said the legislation could harm vulnerable children who would not have access to information about LGBTQ+ issues or reproductive rights — although the bill has been revised to address many of these concerns, and major groups LGBTQ+ decided to support the proposed legislation.

The bill would be the first major technology regulation package to be approved in years. While there has long been bipartisan support for the idea that the biggest tech companies should face more government scrutiny, there has been little consensus on how this should be done. Congress passed legislation earlier this year that would force Chinese social media company TikTok to sell or face a ban, but that law only targets one company.

See more information: TikTok promises to fight its ban. See how the battle can play out

Some technology companies, such as Microsoft, X and Snap, are supporting the law. Meta, owner of Facebook and Instagram, did not take a position.

In a statement last week, Snap praised the project and said that “the safety and well-being of young people on Snapchat is a top priority.”

The bill also includes an update to children’s privacy laws that prohibit online companies from collecting personal information from users under the age of 13, raising that age to 17. It would also ban advertising targeted at teens and allow teens or guardians to delete minors’ personal information.

As the bill stalled in recent months, Blumenthal and Blackburn also worked closely with parents of children who died by suicide after cyberbullying or who were otherwise harmed by social media, including dangerous social media challenges, attempts of extortion, eating disorders and drug trafficking. In an emotional press conference last week, parents said they were pleased that the Senate was finally moving forward with the legislation.

Maurine Molak, mother of a 16-year-old who died by suicide after “months of relentless and threatening cyberbullying,” said she believes the bill could save lives. She asked all senators to vote in favor.

“Anyone who believes that the well-being and safety of children should come before the greed of big tech should make their mark on this historic legislation,” Molak said.