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The bipartisan Children’s Online Safety Act, designed to protect minors from age-inappropriate content online, He will head to the house floor To vote. But critics say the bill could also be used to limit civil rights.
the Children’s Internet Safety Act It was first introduced to the Senate in 2022 under President Joe Biden. The order will require online platforms to provide settings that control how minors use the sites and also limit the collection of their personal data.
However, opponents of the bill say the definition of “harmful content” could extend to legitimate websites, including those related to mental health and transgender rights. the The American Civil Liberties Union warns That legislation could affect First Amendment protections for free speech.
“Broad language in COSA and similar legislation risks censoring everything from jokes and hyperbole to helpful information about sex education and suicide prevention,” said Gina Leventoff, senior policy counsel at the ACLU.
the invoice It also directs federal agencies to study the feasibility of “establishing an age verification system at the device or operating system level,” but does not require platforms to implement such a system.
The House Energy and Commerce Committee met on Thursday and presented the legislation to the full House for consideration. However, lawmakers still need to set a specific calendar date for that vote.
The proposed legislation follows a global trend toward restricting the types of online material children can access. Last year, the UK introduced Internet safety lawwhich requires platforms that host adult content or other age-inappropriate material to implement strong age verification processes to prevent minors from accessing it.
On March 28, Indonesia will ban children Under 16s have no access to social media, after a similar ban in Australia.