A historic new law would protect kids online and hold tech companies accountable

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The new law would require tech companies to limit children's exposure to dangerous online content. The last time Congress legislated on kids online safety was before social media and smartphones.

Members of advocacy group Parents for Safe Online Space rally after a hearing on Capitol Hill in January. The group supports proposed legislation that will hold tech companies accountable for limiting children's exposure to harmful online content.

Last year, a group of bipartisan senators introduced the Kids Online Safety Act, a groundbreaking piece of legislation addressing growing concern from parents about the impact of online and social media platforms on children and teens. specifically search for. This addresses a huge concern of parents and advocates: that kids are targeted with content that promotes harmful behavior, such as eating disorders, sexual exploitation and substance abuse.

While cyberbullying is not directly called out in the legislation, its impacts — anxiety, depression, suicidal and self-harming behaviors — are addressed, says Vaishnavi J., founder of Vyanams Strategies, an organization that advises companies on how to create safer tech products"Cyberbullying is a really challenging issue to navigate because it's so coded and it's constantly evolving," says J."They are typically under-represented from marginalized communities.

All 50 states have laws against bullying, and every state — except Wisconsin and Alaska — include specific references to cyberbullying. Currently, there are no federal laws that criminalize cyberbullying.Along with the safety bill, the Senate also passed online privacy legislation that would prohibit online companies from collecting personal information from kids under the age of 17 without their consent.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer says there's still more work to be done to regulate online protections for kids, but the new online safety law would be

 

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