Senate Committee Unanimously Advances Child Online Safety Bill Package

The United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation unanimously advanced a package of bills on Wednesday aimed at increasing online safety for children. The centerpiece legislation, the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), would impose a "duty of care" on social media platforms such as Meta, Snapchat, and TikTok, making them legally liable for promoting harmful content to minors, including material related to substance abuse, eating disorders, and sexual exploitation.

Along with KOSA, the committee advanced the Youth AI Privacy Act and the CHATBOT Act, which would require AI developers like OpenAI and Anthropic PBC to implement privacy safeguards and family accounts for parental management. The SCREEN Act failed to advance during the session. While the Senate version emphasizes legal accountability, it conflicts with a version passed by the House of Representatives in June that lacked the strict duty of care provision.

Bipartisan support for the measures is high, with leaders expressing confidence in a full Senate vote before the November midterm elections. However, the bills face significant opposition from digital rights groups and trade organizations like NetChoice, the ACLU, and the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Critics argue that the legislation could facilitate government censorship, jeopardize user privacy through mandatory age verification, and expand federal bureaucracy over digital content.