The Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) will finally take the floor in the Senate this week after Senate Majority Leader Schumer (D-N.Y.) announced that he would hold a procedural vote on the bill as early as Thursday. It fulfills a promise Schumer made to parent advocates who support the bill, which would impose a duty of care on online platforms to mitigate certain risks to children. But the timing means that even if KOSA passes the Senate before the end of the week, the House itself would only have a week to consider the measure as the August recess approaches.
At a news conference on Tuesday, supporters and bill sponsors urged other senators to quickly vote to pass the bill without pursuing other amendments that could again stymie its progress. The bill’s lead sponsors, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), said he hoped the floor vote would be “quick, clean” and ” No need to modify”.
The request underscores the tight timeframe facing the bill to reach the president’s desk before the August recess. That’s an important timeline, not only because it’s good for sponsors to have it sorted out before the holidays, but also because it’s notoriously difficult to pass meaningful legislation after August in an election year.
The bill could face some potential hurdles as it buys time. Lawmakers in the Senate could propose amendments that would slow progress or invite new opposition. Asked at a news conference whether the sponsors hoped other senators wouldn’t try to include their own children’s online safety bills in the measure, Blumenthal reiterated, “I hope we won’t make any changes.” Schuh Merkel has sought to pass the bill by unanimous consent, which would speed up the process. But Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) said he opposed that route due to concerns about the bill’s potential impact on LGBTQ+ content.
If it does pass the Senate, Republican leadership in the House will need to embrace it. Republican leadership recently canceled an Energy and Commerce Committee hearing scheduled to discuss the House version of KOSA due to concerns about a separate privacy bill. Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., the committee’s ranking member, expressed concerns about KOSA. If the bill passes committee, House leadership will still need to prioritize KOSA for a vote on the House floor as soon as possible.
Blackburn said they have spoken with House members and “visited with House leadership.” She added, “We look forward to them moving this forward as quickly as possible.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Los Angeles) said in a statement that he “looks forward to reviewing the details of the legislation proposed by the Senate. Parents should have greater control and the necessary tools to keep their children safe online. I am committed to working on The House reached consensus.
Despite potential obstacles ahead, supporters at the press conference seemed relieved, excited and focused on getting the Senate and House of Representatives done.
“It’s no secret,” Schumer said, “it’s been a long and bumpy road. But one thing I’ve always been sure of is that it’s worth it.
Ava Smithing, director of advocacy and operations for the Young People’s Alliance, shared her story with lawmakers about how social media algorithms led her to read eating disorder content, saying it was “a very exhausting process.” , having to retell truly deeply personal stories over and over again, and then again. But with Schumer announcing, “Today felt meaningful, like those conversations and long days wouldn’t go without answers. “
“After two years of hard work, this general vote is an important moment,” said ParentsSOS co-founder Maurine Molak, whose son David committed suicide at 16 after experiencing cyberbullying Death. “It appears our elected leaders have heard us and they are ready to help. They are ready to save children’s lives. While I will do whatever it takes to get my son back, look Getting this bill across the finish line is my second greatest wish. “
Tracy Ann Bancroft, whose son suffers from an eating disorder, believes social media is “a major factor” in the development of eating disorders and says it’s not too late to take action. “We need to pass this legislation urgently,” Bancroft said.
The bill, first introduced in 2022, has been heavily criticized by various groups, including LGBTQ+ organizations, who fear that the duty of care it imposes on social media companies to mitigate harm to children could be weaponized to target marginalized youth. Provide positive resources. But sponsors have since calmed many concerns by revising the bill’s language, including making it clear that it targets design features and that state attorneys general cannot enforce those elements.
But the bill still has its critics. For example, McKinney, director of Indian federal affairs at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, called KOSA “an unconstitutional censorship bill that would empower the Federal Trade Commission and potentially state attorneys general to restrict content they deem objectionable” in a statement. The right to protect online speech. McKinney said, “Platforms will respond to KOSA’s vague new accountability standards by censoring users’ lawful speech on topics that KOSA deems harmful. KOSA is so vague that different governments can censor the entire political spectrum. The content ranges from guns to vaccines, from transgender issues to abortion, Evan Greer, director of Fight for the Future, said on the X show, “Schumer is putting LGBTQ youth at the center. Under the bus because this bill can’t even pass the House so he can say he’s ‘protecting kids’ before the election.
But Smith said her group had reserved support for KOSA until its recent changes, pointing to the restricted portion of the duty of care that allows minors to search for content they want and receive “evidence-based information.” Smith said making it clear that the bill targets design features “helps us be confident that the bill is not about content,” she said.
Smith said she feels optimistic. “I’ve been really tapping into this delusional optimism over the past few months. Like if I just keep going, something good is going to happen,” Smith said. “Today feels like the day where a little bit of optimism is realized and a little bit of delusion is put aside.”
If the bill becomes law, it will likely face challenges in the courts, which will now have to grapple with a new Supreme Court opinion that makes it clear that social media management and content moderation are expressive. Blumenthal said he believes KOSA can weather any challenges. “I think this bill is constitutionally sound,” he said.
