A series of measures were approved today for the protecting children on the Internetby the US Senate.
It is the first major legislation aimed at the US tech industry in years.
“We keep the promise we made to parents”
“This is a great day,” Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said in greeting.
“The Senate has fulfilled its promise to every parent who has lost a child to the dangers of social media,” he said.
The text
From now on, this text must be approved by the Chamber of Deputies, where its approval is more uncertain and where deputies are on vacation until September.
The bill, supported in the Senate by Republican and Democratic lawmakers, would require platforms to enact provisions to protect minors from problematic and dangerous content, including sexual exploitation, online harassment and the promotion of suicide and eating disorders. It would also limit users’ ability to communicate with children through online messaging apps and impose stronger parental controls.
Microsoft, X (formerly Twitter) and Snap groups express support for text, while Meta (Facebook, Instagram) and TikTok did not show clear support.
Another part of the text will strengthen confidentiality standards for minors and will ban online advertising aimed at children.
The bill approved today by the Senate, however, faces opposition from associations that defend the rights of minorities (mainly LGBTI+) and freedom of expression, who fear that these laws will reinforce the isolation of some teenagers.
However, digital platforms have until now been largely protected from any legal liability regarding content shared on their website.
Many lawmakers want more rules to better regulate them, but new laws have been blocked by intense pressure from big tech companies.
And while lawmakers are largely in favor of combating the negative effects of social media on children, the deeply partisan Congress has struggled for years to pass concrete measures.
At the same time, nearly thirty US states filed lawsuits against Meta in late October, accusing its platforms, Facebook and Instagram, of harming the “physical and mental health of young people.”
In mid-June, the US’s chief medical officer called on social media to spread information about the dangers faced by young people spending time there, just as there are mandatory warning messages on cigarette packs.
Increasing attention to social media is also being paid outside the United States.
In mid-May, The European Commission has launched an investigation targeting Facebook and Instagramon suspicion of developing addictive behaviors in children and failing to comply with age verification obligations.
At a congressional hearing in late January, CEO Mark Zuckerberg issued a rare apology to victims of abuse on digital platforms. “No one should have to go through what your families went through,” he said, adding that he was “sorry for everything you went through.”
AMP Source