Senate To Vote On Bills Regulating Social Media For Kids

WASHINGTON ― The Senate is set to vote this week on legislation designed to make social media companies take more responsibility in shielding children from harmful material.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) announced Tuesday that the Senate would vote on the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act and the Kids Online Safety Act. The latter bill, known as KOSA, has overwhelming bipartisan support and nearly 70 co-sponsors, meaning it will easily pass.

“Unlike decades past, ensuring our kids’ safety today means ensuring their online safety, to protect kids from online bullying and exploitation and other risks to their mental health,” Schumer said on the Senate floor.

“Social media has helped hundreds of millions of people to connect in new ways over the last two decades, but there are also new and sometimes serious health risks that come along with those benefits,” he said. “We cannot set these risks aside. On this issue, we desperately need to catch up.”

The legislation lacks similar support in the Republican-controlled House. In a statement, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) suggested Tuesday that he was open to it, though he did not commit to holding a vote.

“I am looking forward to reviewing the details of the legislation that comes out of the Senate,” Johnson said in an emailed statement to HuffPost. “Parents should have greater control and the necessary tools to protect their kids online.”

Among other things, KOSA would create a “duty of care” standard for social media and video platforms to proactively shield minors from harmful material, such as content that promotes eating disorders, and allow young users to opt out of algorithmic feeds that constantly serve up recommended content. The new rules