Blackburn24Print.jpg

Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn

 Photo: Hamilton Matthew Masters

Incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn is celebrating the Senate's passage of the bipartisan Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), which is now awaiting action in the House of Representatives.

The legislation would require social media platforms to take “reasonable measures in the design and operation of products or services” regarding the safety of children online, specifically with sexual exploitation and bullying.

“The 91 senators from across the political spectrum that stood up to Big Tech and voted in favor of this legislation have helped save countless innocent lives from being exploited online,” Blackburn said in a July 30 news conference.

In addition, the bill would require companies to restrict access to children’s personal data, “disable addictive features,” and provide parents with tools to supervise their child’s activity online.

It would also enforce federal oversight and allow the study of the risk of social media on children. More information about the bill can be found online here.

“It will be the first internet safety reform in nearly three decades – a resounding bipartisan achievement showing democracy still works,” bill sponsor Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) said.

“Now, the Senate has done its job; the House should do the same and move KOSA when they return,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) added.

The Senate's passage of KOSA follows Blackburn's recent legislative victory from May when President Joe Biden signed the bipartisan Revising Existing Procedures on Reporting via Technology (REPORT) Act into law.

As previously reported, the REPORT ACT updates requirements for tech companies, including social media platforms like Facebook, Snapchat and Instagram, to report to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) when they become aware of violations involving the online sexual exploitation of children.

Specifically, the law increases the amount of time — from 90 days to one year — that a provider must preserve the contents of a report. It also requires providers to “report apparent violations involving the sexual exploitation of children to instances involving child sex trafficking or coercion or enticement of a minor to engage in prostitution or any other illegal sexual activity,” as well as increasing fines for providers who fail to submit reports.