David B. McGarry, research director of the Taxpayers Protection Alliance, said renewed Senate support for the Kids Online Safety Act raises concerns about how federal rules could affect online speech and platform moderation.
Sen. Ted Cruz recently expressed support for advancing KOSA, describing it as a bipartisan proposal focused on increasing online safety protections for minors. Supporters argue the bill would require platforms to provide stronger safeguards for minors, according to The Hill.
“The Kids Online Safety Act springs from the premise that federal regulators ought to determine how platforms sort and disseminate online speech,” McGarry said. “This is tantamount to previous federal attempts to impose upon the editorial discretion of other private institutions, such as newspapers,” according to DC Newsline.
McGarry also said KOSA’s “Duty of Care” provisions could affect users beyond minors because platforms would have to assess how minors respond to different forms of online content, according to DC Newsline.
KOSA would require covered platforms to take reasonable measures to prevent and mitigate certain harms to minors, including anxiety, depression, eating disorders, addiction-like behaviors, bullying, harassment, and sexual exploitation, according to Congress.gov.
“Despite its name, KOSA would do little to protect children,” McGarry said. “Congress should pursue constitutional policies that would achieve that aim,” according to Taxpayers Protection Alliance.
