WASHINGTON, July 25 (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate is set

to vote on Thursday on two online safety bills that would force

social media companies to take responsibility for how their

platforms affect children and teens, a step parents and

advocates have demanded for years.

The bills have broad bipartisan support and are expected to

pass the necessary 60-vote threshold for passage in the Senate,

where Democrats hold a 51-49 majority.

"Unlike decades past, ensuring our kids' safety today means

ensuring their online safety," Democratic Senate Majority Leader

Chuck Schumer said on Monday when he scheduled the vote. "On

this issue, we desperately need to catch up."

The Kids Online Safety Act would require social media

platforms to enable options for minors to protect their

information and disable addictive product features by default.

It would also create a legal duty for the companies to

prevent and mitigate dangers to minors including suicide and

disordered eating.

The Children and Teens' Online Privacy Protection Act would

ban targeted advertising to minors and data collection without

their consent, and give parents and kids the option to delete

their information from social media platforms.

The bills, nicknamed KOSA and COPPA 2.0, respectively, are

the first major move to ensure children's safety online since

COPPA was initially passed in 1998, before the advent of

smartphones.

Some tech companies have publicly backed congressional

efforts to protect children online, with major players including

Microsoft Corp ( MSFT ) and Snap Inc ( SNAP ) expressing

support.

Facebook and Instagram owner Meta Platforms ( META )

spokesperson Stephanie Otaway said that while the company

supports standards for kids and teens online, federal law should

instead require app stores to seek parental approval for

downloads by users under age 16.