The U.S. Senate this week advanced a pair of bills to protect minors online with a rare show of strong bipartisan support.
Montana’s Sens. Steve Daines and Jon Tester both voted for the package. Daines introduced similar legislation in 2015 and said in a statement it’s time to ensure that parents and their children “have the tools they need to keep safe while online," said Daines.
Tester said he supported the bills “to hold Big Tech accountable for exploiting and harming children for profit," said Tester. The proposals will next move to the U.S. House for consideration.
The legislation would require social media companies to create dedicated pages to report harmful material, ban targeted advertising to users under 17 and allow parents to control some features, like whether a user’s account allows autoplay of videos.
The American Civil Liberties Union opposed the legislation, saying some definitions are too broad and could lead to censorship.
Congressman Ryan Zinke declined to comment until the bill is before the House. Congressman Matt Rosendale did not respond to a request for comment.
