The Children's Online Safety Act and the Children's and Teens' Online Privacy Protection Act passed the US Senate yesterday, potentially bringing significant changes to online platforms if the bills are approved by the House of Representatives.
Both bills would apply to gaming platforms, aim to protect children online and were approved in a bipartisan 91-3 vote.
The KOSA Act would introduce a “duty of care” for tech companies when it comes to minors’ use of their platforms, requiring them to have stricter rules to prevent cyberbullying, sexual exploitation and other issues. The bill would also require users to prove they meet the platform’s age requirements to prevent minors from using products they shouldn’t.
Meanwhile, COPPA 2.0 (so-called because it is based on the 1998 COPPA) would ban advertising to minors, as well as the collection of data about them without their consent. It also aims to give more control to parents and their children, who could request that their information be removed from social platforms.
Both bills are considered the first major pieces of legislation seeking to protect children online in two decades.
KOSA and COPPA 2.0 will now look to pass through the House of Representatives, but the House entered its August recess a week early, meaning it won't be in session until September 9.