The bill is designed to establish safeguards and accountability measures to protect children from the harms associated with social media and other platforms.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has vowed to get the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) over the finish line in the Senate.
The bill is designed to establish safeguards and accountability measures to protect children from the harms associated with social media and other online platforms, though some opponents are concerned about censorship.
Mr. Schumer on June 20 initiated a floor discussion with Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), emphasizing the importance of KOSA and his commitment as a co-sponsor.
“I have personally met with the families that have been harmed, I have seen their terrible stories and I am committed, completely committed, to work with them to get KOSA across the finish line,” Mr. Schumer said on the Senate floor.
“Last month, I put together a plan to get KOSA done through unanimous consent for a time agreement on the floor. I personally helped resolve issues and mitigated unintended consequences of the bill. That effort reduced the opposition but there are still holdouts.”
Mr. Schumer said that although there are still holdouts, senators “must pursue a different legislative path to get this done.”
At the same time, a group of parents this week sent a letter to Mr. Schumer urging him to do all he can to pass the bill.
The parents are a part of a group called Parents for Safe Online Spaces (ParentsSOS).
“We write to you today as parents who have lost children as a result of online harms and who are determined to ensure that no other family experiences what we have endured,” the group wrote.
“For the past two years, we have advocated tirelessly for the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), which will hold social media companies accountable for their deliberate design choices that harm young people.”
Mr. Blumenthal highlighted the bill’s importance to the numerous parents and young individuals that he said have been affected by online harms.
By Chase Smith and Tom Ozimek
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