Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios
The Senate's expected passage of a pair of kids online safety bills amounts to this session's biggest response to the youth mental health crisis — though their fate in the House remains uncertain.
Why it matters: The Kids Online Safety Act and the Children and Teens' Online Privacy Protection Act are the product of more than a year of work and have divided LGBTQ+ advocacy and digital rights groups.
What's inside: KOSA contains a "duty of care" provision requiring social media platforms to take steps to prevent and mitigate harm to children.
- That could include increasing protections around content deemed harmful to kids' mental health, such as references to suicide, eating disorders, substance abuse and sexual exploitation.
- There also are added protections on how children's information is gathered and how they interact on the platforms. These requirements would be policed by the FTC and state attorneys general.
COPPA 2.0 would limit advertising and personal data collection targeting minors and would allow gathered information to be deleted.
Between the lines: Data shows that Gen Z has reported the poorest mental health of any generation, and studies say social media and large amounts of screen time are associated with mental health problems.
- NIH reports that almost 20% of kids have a mental, behavioral, developmental or emotional disorder.
- Suicidal behaviors among high schoolers increased more than 40% in the decade before 2019.
What's next: Although Majority Leader Chuck Schumer easily had the votes to pass the bills, they could face a bumpy road in the House.
- House Energy and Commerce Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers told Axios last week that she wanted to hold a markup as soon as possible, though the chamber will be in recess for six weeks.
- Speaker Mike Johnson and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries have expressed openness to considering the legislation, but there is concern from Energy and Commerce Ranking Member Frank Pallone about some KOSA provisions, and potential opposition from progressives.
