US Senate passes bill to protect children online

WASHINGTON — The US Senate passed a sweeping social media safety package on Tuesday that would force tech companies to do more to protect children, the first major legislation targeting Silicon Valley in a generation.

Social media giants like Meta and X have been confronting a torrent of political anger for not putting in guardrails to thwart online dangers for children, including from sexual predators and teen suicide.

A rare sign of cross-party unity in an increasingly rancorous election year, the Kids Online Safety Act, or KOSA, and the Children and Teens' Online Privacy Protection Act, or COPPA 2.0, were passed in an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote with just three dissenters.

But the bills face an uncertain path through the House of Representatives, where Republican Speaker Mike Johnson has spoken broadly in favor of the package but has not scheduled a vote.

"Today is a momentous day. The Senate keeps its promise to every parent who has lost a child because of the risks of social media," said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement.

While there is widespread agreement in a politically divided Congress on curbing the negative impacts of social media, there has never been a united path on how to go about doing so.

The legislation was drawn up in consultation with parents of teens who had been bullied or sexually exploited, but was opposed by some free speech groups worried it could lead to censorship.

House members are on their summer recess and will almost certainly be focusing on averting a looming government shutdown when they return in September.

But Schumer called on the lower chamber to pass the bills immediately on its return, urging lawmakers to "seize the opportunity to send them to the president's desk".

KOSA would establish a "duty of care" obligation on the online platforms that would demand special provisions to be put in place to shield minors from toxic content.

Supported by Microsoft, X and Snap, the company that owns Snapchat, the legislation would require companies to give users a dedicated page to report harmful content.

In January, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg gave a public apology to the families of victims at the Senate Judiciary Committee as hostile lawmakers grilled tech CEOs over the dangers children face on social media.

"I'm sorry for everything you have all been through," he said.

Evan Greer, director of Fight for the Future, told reporters that KOSA was "a blank check for censorship of any piece of content that an administration could claim is harmful to kids".

Agencies via Xinhua