The Senate on Thursday advanced sweeping legislation aimed at protecting children and teens online, in an overwhelmingly bipartisan test vote that put it on track for passage as soon as next week.
But the fate of the package remains uncertain in the House, where free speech concerns and a fierce lobbying effort by the technology industry are threatening to complicate its path to enactment.
The vote was 86-1 to take up the measure, which is the product of years of work by lawmakers and parents to overhaul digital privacy and safety laws as social networking sites, digital gaming and other online platforms increasingly dominate children’s and teens’ lives. The driving force behind the legislation was a group of dozens of grieving parents, some of whose children took their own lives after they had been subjected to online bullying.
“Finalizing these safety bills has been a long and winding and difficult road, but one thing I’ve known from the start: It sure would be worth it,” said Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., the majority leader.
Schumer had promised the parents he would move the package to the floor by June 20, but objections slowed its progress.
The centerpiece of the legislation would create a “duty of care” for social networking platforms that mandates they protect minors against mental health disorders and from abuse, sexual exploitation and other harms. Companies could be held liable for failing to filter out content or limit features that could lead to those adverse impacts.
Led by Sens. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., the legislation also would require technology service providers to turn on the highest privacy and safety settings for users younger than 17 and to allow youths to opt out of some features that can lead to compulsive use.
A second measure included in the package would strengthen privacy protections for anyone younger than 17 and ban targeted advertising to children and teens. It would create an “eraser button” for parents and children, requiring companies to permit users to delete personal information.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
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