The U.S. Senate is set to vote on Thursday on two online safety bills that would force social media companies to take responsibility for how their platforms affect children and teens, a step parents and advocates have demanded for years.
The bills have broad bipartisan support and are expected to pass the necessary 60-vote threshold for passage in the Senate, where Democrats hold a 51-49 majority.
"Unlike decades past, ensuring our kids' safety today means ensuring their online safety," Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said on Monday when he scheduled the vote. "On this issue, we desperately need to catch up."
The Kids Online Safety Act would require social media platforms to enable options for minors to protect their information and disable addictive product features by default.
It would also create a legal duty for the companies to prevent and mitigate dangers to minors including suicide and disordered eating.
The Children and Teens' Online Privacy Protection Act would ban targeted advertising to minors and data collection without their consent, and give parents and kids the option to delete their information from social media platforms.
The bills, nicknamed KOSA and COPPA 2.0, respectively, are the first major move to ensure children's safety online since COPPA was initially passed in 1998, before the advent of smartphones.
Some tech companies have publicly backed congressional efforts to protect children online, with major players including Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) and Snap Inc (SNAP.N) expressing support.
Facebook and Instagram owner Meta Platforms (META.O) spokesperson Stephanie Otaway said that while the company supports standards for kids and teens online, federal law should instead require app stores to seek parental approval for downloads by users under age 16.
