Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., has urged the House to pass the Kids Online Safety Act, after it passed the Senate with bipartisan support.
Blackburn released a video, "Why We Must Pass the Kids Online Safety Act," highlighting the story of a 17-year-old who died after taking a pill laced with fentanyl he bought from seomeone on Snapchat.
Under KOSA, social media companies would be required to take steps to shield underage kids from potentially harmful content, including limiting addictive features.
"We have found so many kids that are meeting these drug dealers online, and the precursors come from China into Mexico, and then the drug cartels bring it into the country," Blackburn said. "Over 100,000 Americans a year die."
KOSA was approved by the Senate 91-3 in late July, along with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Action Act.
Sens. Rand Paul, R-Ky. and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., opposed KOSA, claiming it violates the First Amendment and allows the executive branch too much power to censor content. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, also voted against KOSA.
Big Tech companies are expected to lobby against the bill, having derailed a bipartisan data privacy bill in the House Energy and the Commerce Committee last month and blocking antitrust legislation from passing.
A group of parents led by the advocacy group ParentsTogether, recently delivered a petition in support of KOSA to House leadership. More than 100,000 parents signed the petition, and boxes containing messages from parents about online safety were delivered to members of Congress.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has expressed support for the bill, though House Republican leadership said last month the bill could prompt censorship of speech and give new authority to the Federal Trade Commission, the Hill reported.
Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
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