[Discussion] Child Internet Safety Bills Proceed Despite Critics' Concerns

[Uncrowned Guard]

Senate Moves to Protect Kids Online

In a significant step towards the protection of children on the internet, the Senate Commerce Committee has approved two bills for floor discussion on Thursday, despite critics voicing their concerns over potential drawbacks.

Approaching Child Online Safety: KOSA and COPPA 2.0

The Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) and COPPA 2.0, both directed toward addressing the mental health crisis among children exacerbated by social media, are now one step closer to becoming law. Critics, however, express fears that these measures could unintentionally push social media platforms to collect more user information to ensure compliance with the new regulations.

Presidential Call for Children's Online Privacy

President Joe Biden, in his past State of the Union addresses, has stressed the need for more robust online privacy measures for children. Aligning with his sentiment, bipartisan lawmakers have put forward legislation aimed at fulfilling this demand, with KOSA and COPPA 2.0 emerging as the front-runners.

KOSA: Shielding Children from Damaging Content

KOSA, initiated by Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), is designed to empower the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general to penalize companies that fail to shield children from damaging content on their platforms. The bill seeks to prevent exposure to content promoting eating disorders, suicidal ideation, substance abuse, and gambling. Additionally, KOSA proposes prohibiting social media use for children 13 and under and requires parental consent for platform usage by children under 17.

Age Verification Concerns and Proposed Amendments

In response to concerns raised by digital rights groups regarding user age verification, Blackburn proposed an amendment, which was approved alongside the bill. Despite this, concerns persist that the bill's requirements could still necessitate the collection of more user data.

Potential Hindrance to LGBTQIA+ Teens' Access to Resources

There are also worries that KOSA could inadvertently hinder LGBTQIA+ teenagers from accessing necessary resources online due to the parental consent stipulations. Chair Maria Cantwell (D-WA) reassured that the committee plans to work with critics to address these issues.

COPPA 2.0: Elevating Age of Protection and Ad Restrictions

The other bill, COPPA 2.0, aims to elevate the age of protection under the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act from 13 to 16 and imposes similar age-gating restrictions. Furthermore, it prohibits platforms from targeting advertisements for children.

Tech Trade Group's Opposition to the Bills

Despite these advancements, tech trade group NetChoice voiced staunch opposition to the bills. Carl Szabo, NetChoice vice president and general counsel, argued that the decision of how children and teens use the internet should rest with parents and guardians, not the government.

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[ZandraJoi]

All fine & great, all ages need that protection. But what would help the children is for the parents to be more active in their lives. Most parents don't even know what their kids are doing. Problem is, I don't see that changing. Both parents have to work to have all this tech & then if they are home, they are ON those tech devices.

[Joshua Farrell]

I know the State of Utah has something similar that was implemented this past year. They now require companies that have a userbase in the state, to verify age, so that certain content doesn't get shown to anyone under 18.

[ZandraJoi]

On 7/29/2023 at 2:07 PM, Joshua Farrell said:

I know the State of Utah has something similar that was implemented this past year. They now require companies that have a userbase in the state, to verify age, so that certain content doesn't get shown to anyone under 18.

It's good Utah is stepping up for more security like this. How can they verify it however? I've went to sites & says "Click here if you are over 18". Anybody can click on it! So how could sites verify to make it safer? Is there a way? I've always wondered about that.

[Paige]

I feel like we always mess this stuff up 😢

[Kyng]

On 8/5/2023 at 1:00 PM, ZandraJoi said:

It's good Utah is stepping up for more security like this. How can they verify it however? I've went to sites & says "Click here if you are over 18". Anybody can click on it! So how could sites verify to make it safer? Is there a way? I've always wondered about that.

While I don't think the idea is bad, I do agree that it'd be very difficult to implement.

Every method of age verification that I can think of is either useless, or invasive of privacy 😞 . 

[Joshua Farrell]

On 8/5/2023 at 6:00 AM, ZandraJoi said:

It's good Utah is stepping up for more security like this. How can they verify it however? I've went to sites & says "Click here if you are over 18". Anybody can click on it! So how could sites verify to make it safer? Is there a way? I've always wondered about that.

Looked up the law to freshen my memory. It states "reasonable measures to obtain identity", and mentions that ID must be provided. And that after age verification has been verified, the law then states that they company should then grant access based on the ID provided, and then remove all information used to obtain verification of said age.

[ZandraJoi]

On 8/9/2023 at 12:33 AM, Paige said:

I feel like we always mess this stuff up 😢

Unfortunately you are right!

On 8/10/2023 at 6:39 AM, Kyng said:

While I don't think the idea is bad, I do agree that it'd be very difficult to implement.

Every method of age verification that I can think of is either useless, or invasive of privacy 😞 . 

I agree!

On 8/10/2023 at 3:44 PM, Joshua Farrell said:

Looked up the law to freshen my memory. It states "reasonable measures to obtain identity", and mentions that ID must be provided. And that after age verification has been verified, the law then states that they company should then grant access based on the ID provided, and then remove all information used to obtain verification of said age.

Thank you for looking more into it! Sounds interesting. I do hope they find a solution & if this goes over well, it can maybe be implemented in other states.