Kids Online Safety Act social media safety bill advances in Senate
📰 source: cnbc_topnews · 💼 business
the kids online safety act (kosa) cleared a key hurdle wednesday, advancing through the senate commerce, science and transportation committee. the bipartisan bill would require social media platforms like meta, snapchat and tiktok to exercise a "duty of care" when designing features that could harm children, plus create parental controls and study social media's impact on kids.
the legislation was introduced by sen. marsha blackburn (r-tenn.) and sen. richard blumenthal (d-conn.), with 76 cosponsors in the senate. a different version passed the house in june but without the duty of care provision, drawing sharp criticism from blackburn and blumenthal, who called the house version "a pale imitation of big tech accountability." sen. maria cantwell, the committee's top democrat, said the bill imposes a duty of care so companies have to take reasonable care not to create harm.
civil liberties groups like the aclu and f.i.r.e. oppose the bill, arguing it would jeopardize user privacy and enable government censorship. the measure faces a tight calendar with lawmakers leaving for august recess and midterm elections approaching, though committee chair sen. ted cruz (r-texas) said he's confident it will pass the senate floor and reach the president's desk.
why it matters: senate advancing kosa could force major social media platforms to redesign features or face liability for harms to kids.
source: cnbc_topnews
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