A group of state attorneys general is pressuring Congress to pass the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), which is stalled in the House of Representatives due to concerns over online censorship. An open letter was published today It has been signed by 32 attorneys general, including 31 states and the District of Columbia. It urges leaders of both parties in the House and Senate to vote on the bill before the current congressional session ends early next year.
“Although the rapidly expanding online world has improved many aspects of our material well-being, abundant Internet use has a negative impact on our children,” the letter reads, among the signatories of the states of Florida, New Mexico and New York. Including the Attorney General. “Cosa will establish better safeguards for minors online.” It also urges Congress to pass final text that would not prevent states from creating and enforcing strict rules.
Moving the bill forward will be an uphill battle. KOSA (along with a related bill called COPPA 2.0) passed the Senate almost unanimously in July, but this lockstep bipartisan support broke down in the House, where a committee reluctantly passed it in the House With many complaints and promises of amendments. Among other provisions, KOSA would establish that large social media platforms owe a legal “duty of care” to children. but in between Lobbying against the bill from tech companiesBoth Republican and Democratic critics argue that it could easily become a means to censor content deemed harmful by their opponents – including anti-LGBTQ posts for Democrats and anti-abortion content for Republicans.
A particularly contentious question has been whether state attorneys general can bring suit under the law; The Senate version allows states to implement excerpts from kosa But not the central duty of care rule. Several states have already filed multiple — but largely preliminary — lawsuits against companies like Snap, Meta, and TikTok under consumer protection laws.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has indicated that COSA's chances of passage are low, Asking for bill details “Very problematic” last month. At the same time, newly elected President Donald Trump is willing to take legal action. against tech companiesThey have said little about child protection laws – so the chances of the new version passing are also uncertain.