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; Passed the Senate on July 30, 2024 (91–3);

The Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) is a bill first introduced in Congress in 2022. The bill establishes guidelines to protect minors from harmful material on social media platforms through a "duty of care", which would be enforced by state attorneys generals.^[1]

The bill originates from the 2021 Facebook leak, which led to a congressional investigation of Big Tech's lack of protection for minors. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D‑CT) and Marsha Blackburn (R‑TN) co-sponsored the bill and introduced it to the Senate in 2022. It was revived for the 2023-2024 congressional term and passed the Senate in July 2024; however, attempts to bring the bill forward in the House of Representatives since have stalled.

Though KOSA has bipartisan support, it has been criticized by civil rights organizations for potentially enabling censorship, including of material important to marginalized groups such as minorities and LGBT, as well as block material related to racism and abortion.^[2]

^ "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] "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

[2] 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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