Advocates Call for Kids’ Online Safety Bill Floor Vote

The Senate needs to bring a package of kids’ online safety legislation to the floor, advocates said Thursday during an event on Capitol Hill. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin, D-Ill., called for a vote in late September (see 2309270045). His office declined comment Thursday. Tanya Gould, director of Virginia's Office of the Attorney General Anti-Human Trafficking Office, joined several advocates and former child sex-trafficking victims during Thursday’s event, which was hosted by the National Center on Sexual Exploitation. They called for passage of the Strengthening Transparency and Obligation to Protect Children Suffering from Abuse and Mistreatment (Stop CSAM) Act (S-1199), the Eliminating Abusive and Rampant Neglect of Interactive Technologies Act (Earn It Act) (S-3398) and the Kids Online Safety Act (S-1409). Advocates said social media platforms are hiding behind Communications Decency Act Section 230 to avoid taking action against harmful content. Tech companies aren’t designing products with “safety in mind,” said NCOSE CEO Dawn Hawkins.