Senate Committee Advances Child Online Safety Bills While Delaying Broader AI Rules
A Senate committee is postponing broader artificial intelligence legislation until after the summer recess, but will proceed next week with five bills focused on protecting children online. Several of the measures address AI directly, including limits on chatbots and a ban on AI toys, alongside a revived Kids Online Safety Act.
The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee has postponed its plans to take up a series of artificial intelligence bills until after the summer recess. The committee is instead proceeding with a markup of five child online safety bills, scheduled for Wednesday, several of which touch on AI.
Discussions of broader measures to place guardrails on emerging AI technologies, and to potentially preempt states enforcing their own AI regulations, did not yield a compromise in time. Committee Chairman Ted Cruz said more time was needed to reach bipartisan agreement, while other senators raised concerns about the approach, arguing that national security, biological and nuclear risks require the involvement of the highest levels of government rather than self-certification.
Among the bills on the agenda is a revamped version of the Kids Online Safety Act, or KOSA. It would require social media companies to set minors' accounts to the strongest safety and privacy settings by default, add parental controls, and alter design features that drive compulsive use. The Senate version includes a "duty of care" provision, a legal standard that would allow companies to be held liable for failing to adjust algorithms and design features to prevent specific harms to minors.
Three further bills address AI directly:
- The Youth AI Privacy Act would limit chatbots' use of minors' data to answering questions asked, barring its use for advertising or profiling.
- The CHATBOT Act would require AI companies to establish family accounts for parents to manage children's use of chatbots, mandatory for children under 13 and optional for teenagers.
- The Children's Artificial Intelligence Toy Safety Act would ban the manufacturing and distribution of toys incorporating AI chatbots.
The committee is also taking up the SCREEN Act, which would require age verification for commercial pornographic websites and apps. The House passed its own version of KOSA last month as part of a broader package known as the KIDS Act, in a 267-117 vote.
This report is based on original reporting by The Washington Times.
Sources
- The Washington Times washingtontimes.com