House Commerce Committee Advances Bills to Protect Children Online

The House Energy and Commerce Committee advanced two bills on Sept. 18 that would help to protect children’s safety and privacy online. The Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) would require social media companies to improve their platform designs to prevent physical violence, sexual exploitation, and the promotion of narcotic drugs. Another bill, the Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act, would expand the age limit for protected minors from 13 to 16 and require social media platforms to obtain consent from users aged 13 to 16 before collecting their personal information. It would also ban advertising targeting children and teens. Both bills were passed in the Senate by a vote of 91–3 at the end of July. The White House has said the measures would “finally advance bold actions to hold Big Tech accountable.” It urged Congress to send them to the president’s desk “without delay.”...