This week, the US Senate overwhelmingly passed major online safety reforms to protect children on social media. But with ongoing pushback from the tech industry and freedom of speech organizations, the legislation faces an uncertain future in the House. The ambiguous fate of the legislation underscores the ongoing struggle to regulate the online world, despite overwhelming support to do so, after years of deregulation.
The Kids Online Safety Act, or Kosa, would create a “duty of care” for companies operating a platform – meaning companies would be obligated to take reasonable steps to prevent harm for minor users. Social media platforms would also have to provide minors with options to protect their information, disable addictive product features and opt out of personalized algorithmic recommendations.
