Senate Committee Advances Bill to Protect Kids Online
Lawmakers will weigh five bills that would add age checks, parental controls and new limits on AI chatbots and toys, including measures backed by bipartisan sponsors.
- On Wednesday, the Senate Commerce Committee unanimously advanced the Kids Online Safety Act , sending the legislation to the Senate floor to enforce a "duty of care" on social media platforms protecting minors from harmful online features.
- Sens. Marsha Blackburn and Richard Blumenthal labeled the House version "dead on arrival" last month, arguing it strips the "duty of care" provision that is a redline for Senate co-authors.
- Three additional bills targeting artificial intelligence and toy safety also advanced Wednesday, while the SCREEN Act introduced by Sen. Mike Lee failed to move forward due to lack of quorum.
- With the Senate heading into August recess, Committee Chair Sen. Ted Cruz expressed confidence in eventual passage, though only a few legislative days remain before the November midterm elections and government funding deadlines.
- Parent advocates, who turned personal grief into legislative action, remain the "most important advocates" for the bill, emphasizing that the status quo leaves families vulnerable to unchecked Big Tech influence on children.
14 Articles
14 Articles
Senate Panel Advances Kids Online Safety Package Despite Civil Liberties Concerns
A Senate panel advanced bills intended to protect children online, despite free speech and privacy concerns long raised by civil liberties groups about such proposals, particularly those that require or encourage age verification systems.
An important Senate committee today approved a package of bills aimed at increasing the safety of children on the Internet, preparing the ground for a confrontation with the Chamber of Deputies on the possibility of holding Meta and Google, of Alphabet, accountable for the harm caused to minors on their social media platforms. The projects were unanimously approved by the Senate's Committee on Commerce, marking the committee's most significant e…
Senate panel approves Blumenthal's Kids Online Safety Act
At a May rally in Washington, advocates supporting the Senate’s version of a bipartisan kids online safety bill pleaded with U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, to once again bring it before his committee, as Congress’ schedule was filling up fast ahead of election season. Cruz, a supporter of the bill, vowed to do so, without a firm commitment on the date. Dozens of attendees, including mothers who attribute their children’s death to social media harm…
KOSA advances Senate panel; age verification bill falls short of meeting quorum
A Senate panel advanced the landmark Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) in a markup Wednesday, while an age verification bill to keep minors off pornography websites failed after the committee did not meet quorum. The Senate Commerce Committee’s unanimous support for KOSA was largely expected given the chamber’s previous passage of the bill, but age…
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