The centerpiece of the legislation would create a “duty of care” for social networking platforms that mandates they protect minors against mental health disorders and from abuse, sexual exploitation and other harms.
Companies could be held liable for failing to filter out content or limit features that could lead to those adverse impacts.
Led by Mr. Blumenthal and Senator Marsha Blackburn, Republican of Tennessee, the legislation also would require technology service providers to turn on the highest privacy and safety settings by default for users under 17 and to allow youths to opt out of some features that can lead to compulsive use, such as auto-playing of videos.
A second measure included in the package would strengthen privacy protections for anyone under 17 and ban targeted advertising to children and teens. It would create an “eraser button” for parents and children, requiring companies to permit users to delete personal information.
Mr. Blumenthal acknowledged that he and Ms. Blackburn had “diametrically opposed” voting records on most issues — he is the third-most liberal senator, and she the second-most conservative, according to the nonpartisan service GovTrack. But they united around the goal of making the internet safer for children.
And they were particularly motivated by the parents who told gut-wrenching stories of losing their children, some to suicide, and young people who described the mental distress that social media imposes on them.
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