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| Long title | A bill to protect the safety of children on the internet. |
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| Acronyms (colloquial) | KOSA |
| Announced in | the 118th United States Congress |
| Sponsored by | House: Gus Bilirakis Senate: Richard Blumenthal |
| Number of co-sponsors | House: 64 Senate: 72 |
| Legislative history | |
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| Youth rights |
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The Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) (S.1409) is a proposed legislation first introduced in Congress in 2022. The bill aims to establish guidelines to protect minors from harmful material on social media platforms through a "duty of care" system and requiring covered platforms to disable "addicting" design features to minors.
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; by September 2024, the bill had advanced out of committee in the House of Representatives.
Though KOSA has bipartisan support, it has been criticized by both liberals and conservatives for potentially enabling censorship, including material important to marginalized groups, as well as block material related to racism, abortion, and transgender issues.[1]
- ^ 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.