The U.S. Senate is expected to pass a bill on Tuesday that seeks to protect children from harmful online content. This marks the first major effort by Congress in recent years to hold tech companies accountable for the impact of their platforms.
What Happened: The bill, which has wide bipartisan support, requires tech companies to take reasonable steps to prevent harm on online platforms frequently used by minors, reported AP News.
The legislation was put forward by Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn) and Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN). Its objective is to enable children, teens, and parents to regain control of their online lives, “and to say to big tech, we no longer trust you to make decisions for us."
While the House has yet to act on the bill, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), has shown a willingness to review it. Supporters are hopeful that a strong Senate vote will prompt the House to take action.
If passed, the law would mandate companies to mitigate harm to children, including bullying, violence, promotion of suicide, eating disorders, substance abuse, sexual exploitation, and advertisements for illegal products.
Moreover, social media platforms like Meta Platforms, Inc. META Facebook and Instagram, Snap Inc.’s SNAP Snapchat, Elon Musk’s X, formerly Twitter and ByteDance-owned TikTok, would be required to provide minors with some options.
This includes the option to protect their information, disable addictive product features, and opt out of personalized algorithmic recommendations. They would also need to limit other users from communicating with children and restrict features that prolong the use of the platform.
Several tech companies, including Microsoft Corporation MSFT, X, and Snap, have voiced their support for the bill. However, Mark Zuckerberg-led Meta has yet to take a position, the report noted.
Subscribe to the Benzinga Tech Trends newsletter to get all the latest tech developments delivered to your inbox.
Why It Matters: This legislation comes in the wake of growing concerns about the impact of social media on children. In February this year, a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on children's safety online, saw lawmakers expressing frustration against big tech companies.
In March, Florida implemented new measures to keep children and teenagers away from social media. During the same month, billionaire tech investor Chamath Palihapitiya also expressed support for government regulation of social media use among teenagers.
In May earlier this year, Musk who acquired Twitter for $44 billion in October 2022, warned about the potential dangers of social media for children.
"I would urge parents to limit the amount of social media that children can see because they're being programmed by a dopamine-maximizing AI," the tech mogul said at the time.
Check out more of Benzinga’s Consumer Tech coverage by following this link.
Read Next:
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of Benzinga Neuro and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
Photo courtesy: Shutterstock
© 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Comments
Trade confidently with insights and alerts from analyst ratings, free reports and breaking news that affects the stocks you care about.
