Kids Online Safety Act social media safety bill advances in Senate

Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) speaks during a rally organized by Accountable Tech and Design It For Us to hold tech and social media companies accountable for taking steps to protect kids and teens online on January 31, 2024 in Washington, D.C.Jemal Countess | Getty Images Entertainment | Getty ImagesThe Kids Online Safety Act, known as KOSA, cleared a key hurdle Wednesday by advancing through the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee.The measure, which has strong bipartisan support, is aimed at establishing protections for children's online safety by creating parental controls and studying the impact of social media on the well-being of kids.The legislation was introduced by Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., with support from Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn. The proposal has 76 cosponsors in the Senate. A different version of the bill advanced out of the House in June as part of a broader package of proposals to protect children and teens online, though its path to becoming law remains murky."Children and teens face real risk of harm online, and we've lost too many. Congress needs to do more," Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., the top Democrat on the committee, said Wedne...