A bipartisan coalition of U.S. senators on Tuesday approved landmark legislation to protect children and young people online, in what supporters say is the first major reform of the tech industry since 1998. Children’s Online Safety and Privacy Act passed it 91-3 gives parents new controls to protect their children and requires tech companies to enable the strongest privacy settings by default for children.
Among its most significant reforms, the bill would create a “duty of care” requiring social media companies to “prevent and mitigate specific harms that they know their platforms or products are causing to young users,” including harms such as suicide, eating disorders, substance use disorders and sexual exploitation, the report said. summary Of the bill.
Supporters hope the bill will receive overwhelming support and the House will act.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), a sponsor of the bill, said the legislation is badly needed.
“Every parent I know worries about the online threats directed at their children,” Cruz said. “Whether it’s predators targeting children or online videos that incite self-harm, dangerous life choices or undermine self-esteem, we all know someone who has been troubled by the failure of big tech companies to take responsibility for the harm caused by their products. Today, the Senate is starting to sound a warning to big tech companies.”
Cruz said tech companies “will have to take more responsibility for policing online accounts of minors.”
of Parents Television and Media Council He praised the passage of the bill.
“We applaud the Senate for recognizing the real harms to children online and acting with urgency to hold tech platforms accountable for protecting them,” said Melissa Henson, vice president of the Parents Television Media Council. “Tech platforms have long viewed children as an audience to profit from, rather than a population that should be protected from known harms like predators, sexual exploitation, sexually explicit and other harmful content. Now the U.S. House of Representatives must follow the Senate’s lead and pass this legislation.”
U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) issued a joint statement celebrating the bill’s passage.
“This legislation will provide young people and parents with the tools, safeguards and transparency they need to protect themselves from online harm,” Blackburn said.
Blackburn’s office cited statistics showing that children between the ages of 8 and 12 “spend, on average, more than five hours a day in front of a screen,” while teenagers “spend more than eight hours in front of a screen each day.”
“When your children are online, they are a commodity and big tech companies are doing everything they can to keep them scrolling, clicking ads and sharing every detail of their lives,” her website read.
“In today’s age of social media, the statistics regarding mental health issues among young people are staggering.” Blackburn’s website states: “Nearly half of American teenagers have experienced bullying or harassment online. Between 2010 and 2019, teen depression rates doubled, with the steepest increase among teenage girls. In 2021, nearly one-third of girls said they had seriously considered suicide. With big tech companies refusing to protect our kids, it’s time for Congress to step in.”
Blackburn said of the bill:
— “Require social media platforms to provide minors with options to protect their information, disable addictive product features, and opt out of personalized algorithmic recommendations.”
— “Giving parents new controls to help protect their kids and spot harmful behavior.
— “Imposes obligations on online platforms to prevent and mitigate certain risks to minors, including encouraging suicide, eating disorders, substance abuse, sexual exploitation, and the advertising of certain illegal products.”
— “Requiring independent audits and research into how online platforms affect the well-being of children and young people will ensure parents and policymakers know whether online platforms are taking meaningful steps to address risks to children.”
Blumenthal called the bill’s passage “a huge victory for our kids.”
The bill is “an important first step to protect children online,”“ “But we’re not done yet,” Cruz said.
“There is still work to be done.“ He said.
“There is no justification for eight-year-olds to be on Instagram at taxpayers’ expense, or for teenagers to be tweeting doom and gloom in their classrooms.“ He said.
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/PonyWang
Michael Faust He has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years, and his work has appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, Christian Post, Leaf Chronicle, Toronto Star and Knoxville News Sentinel.
