US Senate passes bill to protect children online

WASHINGTON — The US Senate passed a sweeping social media safety package on Tuesday that would force tech companies to do more to protect children, the first major legislation targeting Silicon Valley in a generation.

Social media giants like Meta and X have been confronting a torrent of political anger for not putting in guardrails to thwart online dangers for children, including from sexual predators and teen suicide.

A rare sign of cross-party unity in an increasingly rancorous election year, the Kids Online Safety Act, or KOSA, and the Children and Teens' Online Privacy Protection Act, or COPPA 2.0, were passed in an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote with just three dissenters.