Senate set to pass bill designed to protect kids from dangerous online content

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate is expected to pass legislation Tuesday that is designed to protect children from dangerous online content, pushing forward with what would be the first major effort by Congress in decades to hold tech companies more accountable for the harm that they cause.

The bill has sweeping bipartisan support and has been pushed by parents of children who died by suicide after online bullying. It would force companies to take reasonable steps to prevent harm on online platforms frequently used by minors, requiring them to exercise “duty of care” and ensure that they generally default to the safest settings possible.

Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, who wrote the bill with Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, said the bill is about allowing children, teens and parents to take back control of their lives online, “and to say to big tech, we no longer trust you to make decisions for us.”

The House has not yet acted on the bill, but Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has said he will look at the bill and try to find consensus. Supporters are hoping that a strong vote in the Senate — a test vote last week moved the bill forward on an 86-1 vote — would push the House to act.

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