Last week, the House Energy & Commerce Committee passed a version of the Kids Online Safety Act. There's good news and bad news. The bad news is that some of the essential provisions were weakened, including the removal of the "duty of care" language and mental/emotional harm were replaced with wording about physical safety and harrassment. The good news is that there is a lot of pressure to get KOSA to the floor for a vote, so representatives were motivated to not keep the bill stuck in committee. This fight is not over!
We need you!
Advocates are calling on everyday parents to help us. We need to urge House Representatives to co-sponsor the bill and specifically ask them to make sure it is the strongest version possible, with the provisions as passed by the Senate. The bill can't move to law unless the House and Senate language are exactly the same, so there is work to be done as things are tweaked and we need to keep this pressure on our lawmakers to make it as strong as possible.
What you can do:
Go to this page and follow the instructions for calling or writing your U.S. Representative.
-OR- Dial #250 on your mobile device and when prompted say the keywords: "ONLINE CHILD SAFETY" - You will be connected to Rep. Scalise's office (House majority leader); After that call, you will be texted automatically info about contacting Speaker Johnson's office. (Refer to this page for ideas on what to say).
COPPA 2.0
The Children's Privacy Protection Act also passed out of the Energy & Commerce Committee and will likely advance alongside KOSA throughout this process. No significant changes were made from the Senate version. That's great news!
Let's make history!
If we can get these online safety bills through, they will be the first meaningful child online safety protections made at the federal level since 1998. Let's be the parents historians will talk about one day who stood up to Big Tech and fought for our kids to have the protections they deserve.