Kids Online Safety Act

Kids Online Safety Act
Long title	A bill to protect the safety of children on the internet.
Acronyms (colloquial)	KOSA
Announced in	the 118th United States Congress
Legislative history
	Introduced in the Senate as S. 1409 by Richard Blumenthal (D‑CT) and Marsha Blackburn (R‑TN) on May 2, 2023; Committee consideration by Senate Commerce;

The "Kids Online Safety Act" (KOSA) is a bill introduced in the United States Senate by Senators Richard Blumenthal (D‑CT) and Marsha Blackburn (R‑TN) in February 2022^[1] and reintroduced in May 2023; the bill establishes guidelines meant to protect minors on social media platforms.^[2] KOSA charges individual state attorneys general with enforcing it.^[3] The bill originates from the 2021 Facebook leak, which lead to a congressional investigation of Big Tech's lack of protection for young minors.

The bill has been criticized by civil rights organizations for potentially enabling censorship, including of material important to marginalized groups.^[4] Blackburn has argued that resources on topics such as racism and the civil rights movement overlap with the critical race theory, which she sees as "dangerous".

^ "Blackburn, Blumenthal Introduce Bipartisan Kids Online Safety Act". blackburn.senate.gov. May 2, 2023. Archived from the original on July 26, 2023. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
^ "S.1409 — 118th Congress (2023-2024)". Congress.gov. Archived from the original on July 27, 2023. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
^ "S.1409 — 118th Congress (2023-2024)". Congress.gov. Archived from the original on July 27, 2023. Retrieved July 27, 2023. (Section 11 B) In any case in which the attorney general of a State has reason to believe that an interest of the residents of that State has been or is threatened or adversely affected by the engagement of any person in a practice that violates this Act or a regulation promulgated under this Act, the State, as parens patriae, may bring a civil action on behalf of the residents of the State in a district court of the United States or a State court of appropriate jurisdiction...S. 1409
^ Lorenz, Taylor (February 1, 2024). "Online safety legislation is opposed by many it claims to protect". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved February 1, 2024.

[1] "Blackburn, Blumenthal Introduce Bipartisan Kids Online Safety Act". blackburn.senate.gov. May 2, 2023. Archived from the original on July 26, 2023. Retrieved July 27, 2023.

[2] "S.1409 — 118th Congress (2023-2024)". Congress.gov. Archived from the original on July 27, 2023. Retrieved July 27, 2023.

[3] "S.1409 — 118th Congress (2023-2024)". Congress.gov. Archived from the original on July 27, 2023. Retrieved July 27, 2023. (Section 11 B) In any case in which the attorney general of a State has reason to believe that an interest of the residents of that State has been or is threatened or adversely affected by the engagement of any person in a practice that violates this Act or a regulation promulgated under this Act, the State, as parens patriae, may bring a civil action on behalf of the residents of the State in a district court of the United States or a State court of appropriate jurisdiction...S. 1409

[4] Lorenz, Taylor (February 1, 2024). "Online safety legislation is opposed by many it claims to protect". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved February 1, 2024.

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