Federal Privacy Legislation Debated as Springboard for Child Protections
Congress should craft and approve a federal privacy law, which can then be used to address online harms to children, Family Online Safety Institute CEO Stephen Balkam said Wednesday at a Broadband Breakfast event.
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IGGY Ventures CEO Rick Lane disagreed, saying Congress can’t find a compromise on federal preemption or a private right of action in privacy legislation. The Kids Online Safety Act passed the Senate almost unanimously in 2024 and would have done nearly the same in the House if it weren’t for opposition from House Republican leadership, he said. KOSA’s duty of care is a good bipartisan solution for getting tech platforms to better protect children against online harms, he said.
However, Balkham said KOSA needs more bipartisan compromise to make it a viable bill. Michal Luria, Center for Democracy & Technology research fellow, agreed with Balkam that there’s no “one-size-fits-all” solution to address online harms against children. Legislation should be tailored to specific online engagement and harm, she said.