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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 and Snap Inc expressing support.
Facebook and Instagram owner Meta Platforms 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.
(Reporting by Moira Warburton in Washington and Jody Godoy in
New York; Editing by Scott Malone and Sam Holmes)
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