Senators launch bipartisan bill to regulate kids’ use of social media
By Brian Fung, CNN
(CNN) -- Two US senators are pushing to curb the potentially harmful impacts of social media on young people with a new bill targeting tech platforms' handling of content surrounding issues such as eating disorders, substance abuse and suicide.
The new bipartisan legislation, known as the Kids Online Safety Act, was introduced Wednesday by Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal and Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn. It marks the latest example of how Congress is flexing its regulatory power over the tech industry as lawmakers have advanced a slew of bills to rein in the industry.
"Big Tech has brazenly failed children and betrayed its trust, putting profits above safety," Blumenthal said in a release.
The legislation proposes creating new, explicit responsibilities for tech platforms to protect children from digital harms, including sexual exploitation, the promotion of gambling and alcohol, and "rabbit holes of dangerous material," according to a fact sheet released by the lawmakers.
Under the bill, tech companies would have to provide settings for families to protect their kids from harmful content including tools to govern children's online purchases and potential app addiction, and those settings would have to be enabled by default.
It would also force social media companies to publish annual third-party audits outlining the risks of their platforms for minors. And it would compel platforms to make their data available to independent researchers and academics who can study the platforms' impacts on young people.
"In hearings over the last year, Senator Blumenthal and I have heard countless stories of physical and emotional damage affecting young users, and Big Tech's unwillingness to change," Blackburn said in a release. "The Kids Online Safety Act will address those harms by setting necessary safety guiderails for online platforms to follow that will require transparency and give parents more peace of mind."
The legislative push comes months after a US Surgeon General's report highlighting how social media risks contributing to a crisis in teen mental health. And it follows claims by Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen that the company's platforms have compromised the safety of young people, and particularly teenage girls.
Congress has held a number of hearings in the wake of Haugen's claims. Executives from Facebook, its subsidiary Instagram, Snap, TikTok and YouTube have all testified about the impact of their platforms on younger users.
It's not clear how soon the bill could be considered in committee, but Blumenthal said Wednesday he and Blackburn will "fight for swift passage."
The-CNN-Wire
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