Chuck Schumer plans to bring two major kids online safety bills to the Senate floor this week

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) plans to denote successful a reside that he will bring nan Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) and nan Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA 2.0) to nan Senate level this week for a procedural vote. This tees up nan biggest measurement yet connected nan national level to move guardant pinch a rule successful nan area of children’s online information legislation.

“Over nan past fewer months I’ve met pinch families from crossed nan state who person gone done nan worst point a genitor could strengthen – losing a child,” Schumer said successful a statement. “Rather than retreating into nan acheronian of their loss, these families lit a candle for others pinch their advocacy. I americium proud to activity side-by-side pinch them and put connected nan level authorities that I Believe will walk and better protect our children from nan antagonistic risks of societal media and different online platforms. It has been agelong and daunting roadworthy to get this measure passed, which tin alteration and prevention lives, but today, we are 1 monumental measurement person to success.”

KOSA would enforce a work of attraction connected online platforms to return reasonable steps to mitigate definite harms to minors, require nan action for parental controls for nan accounts of minors, and forestall features for illustration autoplay. COPPA 2.0 would build connected an existing children’s privateness law to raise nan property for privateness protections from 13 to 17 and prohibition targeted advertizing for that group.

Some defense groups for illustration Fight for nan Future and nan Electronic Frontier Foundation person remained captious of KOSA, fearing it would stifle reside crossed nan net and could limit entree to definite resources for marginalized kids connected ideological grounds. While different groups, including salient LGBTQ+ groups for illustration GLAAD and The Trevor Project, had antecedently raised concerns that KOSA could beryllium weaponized against resources for LGBTQ+ youth, they dropped their opposition aft nan bill’s sponsors made respective changes.

Schumer had tried to walk nan bills done unanimous consent — an expedited measurement to walk authorities if nary legislator opposes it — but precocious past year, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) announced he’d reason specified a move owed to concerns astir nan earlier version’s effect connected LGBTQ+ content. Still, nan bills person overwhelming support that should guarantee their occurrence successful nan enclosure truthful agelong arsenic they are fixed nan clip to proceed. KOSA, for example, has had much than 60 cosponsors for months, clearing nan period needed to walk nan chamber.