U.S. Senate passes child online safety legislation co-sponsored by Fischer, Ricketts

The U.S. Senate passed legislation this week that could hold online platforms responsible for harming minors.

Sens. Deb Fischer and Pete Ricketts cosponsored the Kids Online Safety Act, which would require social media companies to protect minors from content promoting substance abuse and mental health issues.

The bill would also force online platforms to give minors the option to disable addictive product features, such as algorithmic recommendations.

Ricketts said the bill holds tech companies to the same standard as other industries.

“Companies in every other industry must take steps to prevent users from being hurt," he said. "Social media companies should do the same. Our bill makes that a reality.”

The bill passed the Senate Tuesday on a bipartisan, 91-3 vote, but the bill also has critics from various political backgrounds.

The American Civil Liberties Union and Fight for the Future, an Internet advocacy group, have criticized the bill for its potential to censor information regarding abortion and LGBTQ content.

An ACLU statement said the Kids Online Safety Act would, "limit minors' access to vital resources and silence important online conversations for all ages."

Meanwhile, conservative Republican Mike Lee of Utah, who was one of the three senators to vote against the bill, wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, that the legislation, "powers the FTC to censor any content it deems to cause 'harm,' 'anxiety,' or 'depression,' in a way that could (and most likely would) be used to censor the expression of political, religious, and other viewpoints disfavored by the FTC."

Ricketts said he is not concerned about the political effects of the legislation.

“If you're talking about children online, those children can't vote, so there's not going to be the same sort of incentive for anybody to try to game the rules with regard to politics when it comes to children," he said. “If there are other unintended consequences, we can go back later and adjust it.”

Next, the legislation must pass he U.S. House of Representatives, which is in recess until September. House Speaker Mike Johnson has said he will support the legislation.