Senate Pushes Forward Child Safety Reforms; House Fate Uncertain

The U.S. Senate is expected to pass two online child safety reforms - the Children and Teens' Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA 2.0) and the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA). Both bills face uncertain outcomes in the Republican-controlled House. The Senate's bipartisan support contrasts with mixed reactions from the tech industry.

The U.S. Senate is set to approve significant online child safety reforms on Tuesday. The legislation, which has garnered mixed reviews from the tech sector, faces an uncertain future in the House of Representatives.

The Children and Teens' Online Privacy Protection Act and the Kids Online Safety Act, known as COPPA 2.0 and KOSA, need approval in the Republican-controlled House, currently on recess until September. The Senate, which passed them in a bipartisan vote, revealed strong support with 86 senators in favor and one against. Democrats control the Senate with a 51-49 margin, while Republicans lead the House 220-212.

COPPA 2.0 aims to ban targeted ads to minors and unauthorized data collection, allowing for the deletion of their information from social media. A Harvard study reported U.S. social media platforms earned $11 billion from users under 18 in 2022. KOSA mandates a duty of care by social media platforms towards minors. While executives from Snap Inc and X supported KOSA, Meta and TikTok leaders expressed partial dissent.

Critics, including tech groups and the American Civil Liberties Union, argue that vague harmful content definitions could restrict minors' access to important information. Senators have revised the bill to limit enforcement roles of state attorneys general. Josh Golin of Fairplay for Kids stressed that KOSA demands mitigation of specific risks without granting censorship powers.

(With inputs from agencies.)