Microsoft adopts Kids Safety Bill to support children’s safety online
By Felicia Nwosu
As part of its advocacy towards supporting young people to safely engage in online through reformative measures, Microsoft has adopted the controversial Kids Online Safety Act, to champion the cause for a more regulated social media platform for the protection of children.
Stakeholders in their support expressed optimism that the measure could prevent teens from accessing content protected by free speech principles. In general, the First Amendment prohibits the government from suppressing a range of content that law enforcement officials like attorneys general might consider harmful, ranging from photos associated with eating disorders, to hate speech, to material discussing drug use.
Mediapost explained that the tech giant has thrown its weight behind the controversial bill, with optimism that it will help monitor how ads and content to minors on the platforms are displayed for children under 17. It added that Microsoft’s certification came on the eve of a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing regarding online sexual exploitation of minors.
According to the report, the move is to ensure that reasonable measures are instituted to prevent potential harms associated with social media use when displaying material to users the platforms know or should know are 16 or younger.
Meanwhile, it maintained that the proposed law would task the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general with enforcement.
For Microsoft, its acceptance of the bill indicated its understanding for the need to recognize the importance of child protection and safety through stringent reforms. Stating in posts on LinkedIn and X, Brad Smith, Microsoft vice president and general counsel, acknowledged that the bill has been thoughtfully packaged as a militating measure to curb the several dangers children are prone to when they are using the internet.
“We must protect youth safety and privacy online and ensure that technology – including emerging technologies such as AI – serves as a positive force for the next generation,” Smith wrote, adding that the Kids Online Safety Act “provides a reasonable, impactful approach to address this issue.”
Apart from the notable platform supporting the noble cause, some youth advocates, including Fairplay support the bill, arguing it will help protect teens from eating disorders, online bullying and other harms.
Also, as part of his contribution to the bill as a co-sponsor, Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut) has also attributed adolescents’ mental health issues to social media platforms.
“Record levels of hopelessness and despair — a national teen mental health crisis — have been fueled by black box algorithms featuring eating disorders, bullying, suicidal thoughts, and more,” Blumenthal stated last year, when he and Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee) reintroduced the bill.
Although there has been some opposition to the bill coming from several quarters in digital landscape including the Electronic Frontier Foundation, who argued that it would violate the First Amendment.
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