TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Azya Thornton on Dec 13, 2024

U.S. senators are urging colleagues in the House of Representatives to pass bipartisan legislation aimed at boosting privacy and safety for children online before the holiday break. U.S. Sens. Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut, and Marsha Blackburn, R-Tennessee, have spent years working on the "Kids Online Safety Act," which seeks to provide children and parents with better tools to protect themselves online and hold tech companies accountable for harm. The bill passed the Senate earlier this year with a 91-3 vote but has stalled in the House. Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti, along with a group of 31 state attorneys general, urged congressional members in a November letter to pass the legislation. According to WKRN News, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, has not allowed a vote on the bill, citing concerns it could lead to censorship of conservative views. Blackburn, however, argues the legislation focuses on product design, not content. "Every product that is sold in this country has some kind of safety design attached, except what you're seeing in the virtual space," she said.