The US Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation passed updates to two federal bills to protect children online: An update to the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and  the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA).

COPPA governs the obligations of websites and online services to protect the privacy of children under the age of 13 and is enforced by the US Federal Trade Commission. The major update to COPPA is to extend the act to children who are aged 17.

KOSA imposes an obligation on technology companies to prevent harm to minors. It is also asking platforms for more transparency in their algorithms for users and researchers so that researchers can study the effects of various platforms on minors.

Both bills will move on to the Senate for a full vote.