It appears that Congress may be looking to hold tech companies accountable for the impact they are having on today’s kids. On Tuesday (July 30), the Senate passed two bills — the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) and the Children’s and Teens Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA 2.0) — geared toward helping to shield young eyes from harmful online content.
The bills passed in a 91-3 vote, displaying what has been described as a sign of rare bipartisan cooperation during a heated presidential election. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut) co-sponsored the KOSA bill with Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee). The legislation has drawn strong support from parents whose children died by suicide following reports of online bullying or been impacted negatively by online content.
What’s next?
The bill is awaiting action by the House, which has reportedly begun a six-week summer recess. Meanwhile, speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) has expressed a desire to “find consensus” on the issue but has not announced whether the legislation will be brought to the floor for a vote.
Want to know more?
To read more headlines on this issue, click here:
Senate passes bill to protect kids online and make tech companies accountable for harmful content -Associated Press
Senate passes landmark online child safety bills -Morning Brew
Senate passes online safety bills, future uncertain in House -USAToday
Senate passes the most significant child online safety bills in decades -NBC News
EDITOR’S NOTE: This story was compiled by Shawn Hendricks, The Baptist Paper.
