Kids Online Safety Act
Science, Technology, Communications
house
senate
president
Introduced on April 9, 2024 by Gus Bilirakis
Legislation Details
- Establishes the “Kids Online Safety Act” to enhance the safety of children on the internet.
- Defines key terms such as “child,” “minor,” “covered platform,” and “high impact online company.”
- Mandates that high impact online companies exercise reasonable care in design features to prevent harm to minors, including mental health issues, compulsive usage, and sexual exploitation.
- Requires covered platforms to provide safeguards for minors, including options to limit communication, control design features, and manage personalized recommendations.
- Implements parental tools for managing minors’ accounts, including purchase restrictions and time management.
- Obligates covered platforms to disclose policies regarding safeguards for minors before registration or purchase.
- Requires annual public reports from covered platforms on risks to minors and measures taken to mitigate those risks, based on independent audits.
- Calls for research on the impact of social media on minors, including mental health and substance use disorders.
- Establishes a Kids Online Safety Council to advise on matters related to the Act.
- Provides for enforcement by the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general.
- Includes provisions for transparency regarding algorithmic content selection on online platforms.
- Preempts conflicting state laws but allows states to enact stronger protections for minors.
- Contains severability provisions to ensure the remaining sections remain effective if any part is found invalid.
Last updated 10/12/2024