U.S. Congress Introduces Kids Online Safety Act

Last week, Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) introduced the bipartisan Kids Online Safety Act ("KOSA"), which would impose new safeguards, tools, and transparency requirements for minors online.  The bill applies to entities that are a "commercial software application or electronic service that connects to the internet and that is used, or is reasonably likely to be used, by a minor [under 17]."  While several bills have been introduced in the Senate and House of Representatives to regulate the collection or use of personal data of minors through amendments to the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), this bill instead focuses on activities that are likely to impact the type and amount of content minors are exposed to online.