U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) is renewing calls to pass his Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA). The bipartisan legislation aimed at making social media safer for children almost became law last year.
Blumenthal said new Meta whistleblower testimony shows social media companies are hurting kids and not doing anything about it.
“These whistleblowers document how Meta has suppressed, blocked, obstructed, and censored research that will show how prevalent the harms are among young users of social media, and how Meta has failed to provide the kind of parental controls and tools that might ease this problem,” Blumenthal said.
Blumenthal has reintroduced the Kids Online Safety Act every year since 2022. In the last session, it passed the Senate with more than 90% of senators in support, but House leadership never called it to a vote.
It’s co-sponsored by Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), and U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY). Leading conservative voices like Elon Musk and Donald Trump Jr. have supported it.
“We are in the midst of a mental health crisis among young people that is aggravated and exacerbated relentlessly by social media,” Blumenthal said. “It drives toxic content about bullying, eating disorders, suicide, grooming, at young people purposefully.”
According to Blumenthal, KOSA:
- Requires social media platforms to provide minors with options to protect their information, disable addictive product features, and opt out of personalized algorithmic recommendations.
- Gives parents control to help protect their kids and spot harmful behaviors, and a place to report harmful behavior.
- Creates a duty for online platforms to prevent and mitigate specific dangers to minors, including promotion of suicide, eating disorders, substance abuse, sexual exploitation, and advertisements for certain illegal products.
- Requires independent audits and research into how platforms impact the well-being of kids and teens.
Critics, including some social media companies, have raised concerns about the bill's potential for censorship. The ACLU has said it could keep kids from accessing information about things like reproductive healthcare, sexual orientation, and gender identity.
Blumenthal and the bill’s other co-sponsors have pushed back on censorship claims.
