Following the passage of the Kids Online Safety Act and the Children and Teens Online Privacy Protection Act in the U.S. Senate on July 30, online safety advocates have shared their perspectives on what parents can expect. The bipartisan Kids Online Safety Act sets out to protect children while they use the internet and hold social media firms accountable. The legislation passed with a margin of 913 votes.
The Kids Online Safety Act aims to establish a duty of care to safeguard children and make social media companies responsible for their actions. The Children and Teens Online Privacy Protection Act, also known as COPPA 2.0, updates and expands the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998, which focused on children under 13, to now extend privacy rights to adolescents.
Online safety experts have voiced their support for the legislation as it imposes additional responsibilities on major tech companies to ensure the safety and privacy of minors.
CEO of the National Center on Sexual Exploitation, Dawn Hawkins, emphasized the importance of passing the Kids Online Safety Act to prevent various harms to children, such as suicide, sexual exploitation, and drug-related incidents facilitated through social media platforms. Hawkins stated, “Parents whose children have suffered from these tragic events deserve to see this act signed into law.”
The Kids Online Safety Act is now awaiting passage in the U.S. House, and advocates stress the urgency of protecting children without further delay. They emphasize the need to hold Big Tech accountable for prioritizing profit over people.
Melissa Henson, Vice President of the Parents Television and Media Council, commented on the legislation, highlighting its accountability measures for tech platforms in protecting children from predators, addictive algorithms, and explicit content. Henson noted that the proposed law would give parents peace of mind through safeguards, tools, and stringent safety settings provided by tech platforms.
The Kids Online Safety Act represents a shift in focus for social media platforms, redirecting their attention from exploiting children for profit to prioritizing their safety and well-being. This legislation marks the first online child protection law passed by Congress in 25 years.
The act requires web platforms to protect young users from content that may negatively impact their mental and physical health. It grants children the ability to safeguard their data, opt out of algorithmic recommendations, control their online presence, and manage content.
Parents gain more control over their children’s data, and the act mandates the inclusion of a reporting mechanism to monitor hazardous online behavior. Platforms must also address and mitigate concerns related to suicide, eating disorders, substance abuse, and sexual exploitation.
Furthermore, the Kids Online Safety Act calls for independent evaluations of social media’s effects on the mental health of children and teenagers. These assessments aim to shed light on the impact of digital content and interactions on young viewers.
The Children and Teens Online Privacy Protection Act prohibits internet providers from collecting data from individuals under the age of 17 without proper consent. This act also prohibits advertising and marketing practices that exploit children and adolescents.
The updated legislation extends these prohibitions to any platforms that are likely to be used by minors, closing potential loopholes that could enable companies to evade accountability.
However, concerns have been raised regarding the act’s age verification requirements, which could compromise privacy rights by necessitating the collection of personal identification. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) expressed its reservations about this potential infringement on privacy and free speech, suggesting that comprehensive federal privacy laws and stronger competition laws could offer better protection for young users.
Please note that The Epoch Times has sought comments from social media companies regarding this legislation.
Antigone Davis, Meta’s Vice President and Global Head of Safety, emphasized her belief that social media has not caused harm to children. She highlighted the company’s responsibility in creating a safe and positive environment for teenagers to benefit from social media platforms.
The legislation passed through the Senate just over a month after Surgeon General Vivek Murthy called for social media companies to inform users about the risks associated with adolescent mental health. Murthy proposed the incorporation of a surgeon general’s warning label on social media platforms, acknowledging their connection with significant mental health hazards for teenagers.
The bills now await consideration in the House of Representatives, which is currently in recess until September.
President Joe Biden has expressed support for the legislation, and advocates urge the House to take action on these measures. While Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has committed to working towards a consensus, he has not indicated whether the legislation will be brought to the House floor in its current form.