The Senate recently passed two landmark pieces of legislation aimed at protecting children online

The Senate has passed two major internet safety bills amid years of debate over the impact of social media on young people’s mental health. The Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) and the Children and Youth Online Privacy Protection Act, also known as COPPA 2.0, passed the Senate by a vote of 91 – T3.

Bills will follow in the House, although it is not clear whether the measures will have enough support to pass. If passed into law, the bills would be the most important pieces of legislation governing technology companies in years.

KOSA requires social media companies like Meta to provide controls to disable algorithmic feeds and other “addictive” features for children under 16. It also requires companies to provide parental guidance features and protect children from content that promotes eating disorders, self-harm, sexual exploitation and other harmful content.

One of the most controversial aspects of the bill creates what is known as a “duty of care.” This means that platforms are required to prevent or reduce certain harmful effects of their products, such as “addictive” features or algorithms that promote harmful content. The Federal Trade Commission is in charge of standard enforcement.

The bill was initially introduced but was shelved amid backlash from digital rights and other advocacy groups that said the law would force the platforms on young people. An updated version, intended to address some of those concerns, was introduced last year, though the ACLU, EFF and other liberal groups still oppose the bill. In a statement last week, the ACLU said KOSA would encourage social media companies to “address protected speech” and “promote the removal of anonymous browsing from many areas of the Internet.”

COPPA 2.0, on the other hand, has not been controversial among privacy advocates. of the Children and Youth Privacy Protection Act of 1998, aims to update the nearly 30-year-old law to better reflect the state of the modern Internet and social media. If passed, the law would prevent companies from targeting advertising to children and collecting personal data from 13- to 16-year-olds without consent. Companies are also required to provide a “clear button” for personal data to remove personal information of children and youth from the platform where it is “technically feasible.”

The vote underscores how Internet safety has become a rare source of bipartisan agreement in the Senate, which has held many hearings on youth safety issues in recent years. The CEOs of Meta, Snap, Discord, X and TikTok in one such case earlier this year, when South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham accused the management of having “blood on their hands” due to repeated security issues.