Child Online Safety Bill Scales Senate Hurdle, but Fate Remains Uncertain

The Senate on Thursday advanced sweeping legislation aimed at protecting children and teens online, in an overwhelmingly bipartisan test vote that put it on track for passage as soon as next week.

But the fate of the package remains uncertain in the House, where free speech concerns and a fierce lobbying effort by the technology industry are threatening to complicate its path to enactment.

The vote was 86 to 1 to take up the measure, which is the product of years of work by lawmakers and parents to overhaul digital privacy and safety laws as social networking sites, digital gaming and other online platforms increasingly dominate children’s and teens’ lives. The driving force behind the legislation was a group of dozens of grieving parents, some of whose children took their own lives after they had been subjected to online bullying and harassment.

“Finalizing these safety bills has been a long and winding and difficult road, but one thing I’ve known from the start: It sure would be worth it,” Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the majority leader, said in a floor speech before the vote. “The message from these parents has been simple and consistent: It’s been long enough.”

Mr. Schumer had promised the parents earlier this year that he would move the package to the floor by June 20, but objections slowed its progress. It faces strong pushback from technology companies, who argue it would place unacceptable burdens on companies to moderate content and verify users’ ages, and groups like the American Civil Liberties Union that contend it would restrict free speech.

The centerpiece of the legislation would create a “duty of care” for social networking platforms that mandates they protect minors against mental health