After 91 Senators voted for final passage of bipartisan social media privacy and safety legislation that includes the Kids Online Safety Act, sending it to the House with overwhelming bipartisan support and dealing a sharp rebuke to Big Tech companies for failing to protect young Americans on their platforms, The Tech Oversight Project Executive Director Sacha Haworth released the following statement:
“Today’s overwhelming vote in the Senate represents a huge victory for parents and kids and a sharp rebuke to the Big Tech companies that have knowingly endangered and exploited our kids for profit. As advocates for children’s health, online safety, and tech accountability, we’re thrilled to see this day, and we applaud the overwhelming number of Senators who backed this groundbreaking legislation. Today’s vote is a huge win for holding companies like Meta, TikTok, Google, and Snap accountable and protecting America’s youth. In the face of fierce Big Tech lobbying, this victory shows the power of youth and parent advocates who pushed tirelessly for change. The Kids Online Safety Act will shift responsibility to platforms, demanding that companies stop prioritizing engagement metrics and ad revenue over children’s well-being, and instead give young people and parents better controls and a safer online experience. Now, we urge the House to act quickly and pass this bill into law. This is a public health crisis, and protecting young lives can’t wait.”
Big Tech’s fight against KOSA
Since its introduction in 2022, Big Tech has seen KOSA as a must-defeat bill because its passage would mark a significant bipartisan breakthrough in their anti-regulation stormwall. But lawmakers and the American public increasingly recognize the Big Tech lobby’s true agenda: maximizing profits for Silicon Valley giants while denying any and all consumer safeguards.
Next steps for the Kids Online Safety & Privacy Act
Now that the Senate has passed KOSPA, which includes KOSA, the House has the option to consider the bill as passed by the Senate, which would streamline the bill’s progress into law with limited working days remaining for the House in the 118th Congress. The bill’s wide margin of passage in the Senate bolsters advocacy for this approach. Or, the House Committee on Energy & Commerce could revive work on the House version of KOSA. House Speaker Johnson has expressed support for moving forward on KOSA and passing legislation this Congress.
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