The Senate passed the Kids Online Safety and Privacy Act (KOSPA) this week with an overwhelming vote of 91-3. KOSPA combines two bills that propose an array of legal standards for online companies when their users are under age 17. The bill will move to the House for further consideration this fall.
The current text of KOSPA has garnered mixed reactions from leaders of major education organizations. The bill would ban online companies from collecting personal information on students younger than 17. It would also require online platforms to create a point of contact for schools to report potential harm to minors. However, KOSPA does not require verification of district accounts on social media. The bill also contains several provisions that could inadvertently affect the use of ed-tech tools in schools.
Title I of KOSPA is the Kids Online Safety Act, which would give parents control over privacy and account settings, allow minors to control personalized recommendation systems, and enable parents and students to set screen-time limits. These provisions may be helpful at home but not at school, said Amelia Vance, chief counsel for the School Superintendents Association (AASA) Student and Child Privacy Center.