Public Knowledge Warns Against Bills Limiting Children’s Internet Access, Barring States from Protecting Kids Online

Congress passed out of committee a package of bills aimed at kids’ online safety. The bills range from uncontroversial, bipartisan Federal Trade Commission study bills to those facilitating privacy-threatening surveillance. Lawmakers continue spending time on bills that simply pass on the responsibility for child safety online entirely to parents, rather than pushing platforms to make their products safer for everyone. In an otherwise bleak package of bills threatening free expression and the Open Internet, there are some bright spots—specifically, bills that target particular harmful design features rather than blocking kids from the internet altogether or forcing them to give up all semblance of privacy. We hope Congress can push forward conversations around what actually perpetuates harms to kids online—namely, risky design features like live chat with strangers or endless scroll—rather than content young users may come across.