A bipartisan group of U.S. senators has advocated for a legislative approach aimed at improving online safety for children by imposing a legal duty of care on social media platforms. The Kids Online Safety Act, which passed the Senate with a 91-3 vote during the last session of Congress, would require companies to take proactive measures to prevent foreseeable harms to minors, such as sexual exploitation, substance abuse, and self-harm. This approach contrasts with blanket age restrictions, which critics argue have been ineffective due to the ease with which children can falsify their ages to access social media.

Senator Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee highlighted the limitations of existing measures, pointing to internal documents from Meta that revealed as many as 100,000 minors experience sexual harassment daily on Facebook and Instagram. Despite the company’s launch of "Teen Accounts" to enhance safety, only a fraction of its safety tools were reportedly effective. Blackburn argued that while parents bear primary responsibility for protecting their children, social media companies have legal liability for the design of their platforms. She urged Congress to pass the Senate version of the Kids Online Safety Act to ensure consistent safeguards.

In a separate matter related to immigration enforcement, officials from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) called for reforms to address concerns about Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) following a fatal shooting in Biddeford, Maine. A new report by the ACLU reviewed the conduct of over 1,200 immigration agents and found systemic issues beyond isolated incidents. The report recommends prohibiting ICE arrests without administrative warrants, banning racial profiling, and instituting accountability measures so that agents face consequences for misconduct.

Molly Curren Rowles of the ACLU of Maine and Naureen Shah, director of immigration policy at the national ACLU, emphasized the need for fair, orderly, and humane immigration enforcement that respects due process and human dignity. They also noted that measures such as requiring body cameras are insufficient on their own to prevent further loss of life and called for comprehensive changes to ensure the agency acts responsibly.

Separately, advocates for restaurant workers responded to critiques of increased minimum wages and tipping reforms in Washington, D.C. Angelo Greco, chair of the DC Living Wage For All ballot committee, argued that restaurant closures cited by critics are more likely due to economic pressures such as rent and supply costs rather than wage increases. He pointed out that voters have twice approved ending the subminimum wage for tipped workers, only to have those efforts blocked by elected officials.

Greco also noted that a fair wage system does not eliminate tipping but guarantees full minimum wage with tips on top, a model already implemented in seven states. He stressed that the advocacy reflects the expressed needs of workers rather than an experimental policy imposed without public support.