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Efforts to protect children in the digital world are making headway: On Tuesday, the Senate passed legislation aiming to protect kids online in a 91-3 vote. It marked the first significant congressional move in decades to enforce accountability among tech companies when it comes to young people’s online safety.
The Kids Online Safety Act, or KOSA, would require platforms to exercise “duty of care” to ensure minors get the safest online experience possible. This would look like making safeguards the default (not an option), mitigating cyberbullying, and prohibiting advertisements that include tobacco products, gambling, or alcohol.
The Senate also made updates to a 1998 child safety law, including prohibiting online companies from collecting personal information from users under 17 without their consent, an increase from 13.
Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey and Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy co-sponsored the update and issued a joint statement, noting that the legislation “has been intensely vetted, has strong support on both sides of the aisle, and directly targets Big Tech’s underlying incentive to keep young people scrolling, clicking, and liking for as long as possible.”
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