Ticker: Senate passes bill to protect kids online and make tech companies accountable for harmful content; American consumers feeling more confident in July

The Senate overwhelmingly passed legislation Tuesday that is designed to protect children from dangerous online content, pushing forward with what would be the first major effort by Congress in decades to hold tech companies more accountable for the harm that they cause.

The bill, which passed 91-3, has been pushed by parents of children who died by suicide after online bullying or have otherwise been harmed by online content. It would force companies to take reasonable steps to prevent harm on online platforms frequently used by minors, requiring them to exercise “duty of care” and ensure that they generally default to the safest settings possible.

The House has not yet acted on the bill.

American consumers feeling more confident in July

American consumers felt more confident in July as expectations over the near-term future rebounded. However, in a reversal of recent trends, feelings about current conditions weakened.

The Conference Board, a business research group, said Tuesday that its consumer confidence index rose to 100.3 in July from a downwardly revised 97.8 in June.

The index measures both Americans’ assessment of current economic conditions and their outlook for the next six months.

The measure of Americans’ short-term expectations for income, business and the job market rose in July to 78.2 from 72.8 in June. A reading under 80 can signal a potential recession in the near future.

Consumers’ view of current conditions dipped in July to 133.6, from 135.3 in June.

 

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