Amended Kids Online Safety Act Gains Critical Bipartisan Support in the Senate
ParentsSOS urges Sen. Schumer to Call a Vote; Nintendo, NAACP Endorse Bill
Washington, DC – Feb. 15, 2024 – Today, ParentsSOS, a coalition of 20 families who have lost a child to an array of online harms, applauded the release of a new version of the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA). This week, KOSA sponsors Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R‑TN) amended the bill’s language to reflect input from a variety of stakeholders, including organizations representing historically-marginalized communities and good-faith industry players. The updated version of KOSA has gained endorsements from the NAACP and gaming giant Nintendo, and now has 62 co-sponsors in the Senate—including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY)—priming the Act for a Senate vote in the coming weeks.
“Parents who have lost their children have rallied around the Kids Online Safety Act because it is the only federal legislation that will address the full gamut of harms that have become all too common on social media,” said ParentsSOS co-founder and interim executive director of the David’s Legacy Foundation Maurine Molak. Molak’s son died by suicide at 16 after being horrifically cyberbullied. “We are thrilled to see the new text, new endorsements and new co-sponsors and are ready to do whatever it takes to get this bill over the finish line to ensure no other family suffers what we have. We thank Senators Blumenthal and Blackburn for introducing this critical legislation as well as Chair Cantwell, Ranking Member Cruz and Leader Schumer for all of their efforts to advance this lifesaving legislation.”
KOSA was created to provide essential online protections for millions of children and teens. These new protections include imposing a “duty of care” on social media platforms to prevent and mitigate known online harms such as the promotion of suicide, eating disorders, substance abuse, and the sale of unlawful products. The bill also gives young people and parents new protections against social media algorithms that encourage screen addiction and send kids down rabbit holes of dangerous content.
On January 31, ParentsSOS members attended the heated Senate Judiciary Committee hearing during which Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg was forced to apologize for his platforms having caused harm to their families. These survivor parents have lost their children to an array of online harms, ranging from cyberbullying to deadly viral challenges to sexploitation, and are calling on Sen. Schumer to announce a floor vote.
“The Kids Online Safety Act is our best chance to address social media’s toxic business model which has claimed far too many children’s lives and helped spur a mental health crisis,” said Josh Golin, ParentsSOS co-founder and executive director of Fairplay. “That the bill is poised to become the first bill that protects kids online to receive a floor vote in 25 years is a testament to the bill’s careful crafting, the commitment of Senate leadership, and tireless advocacy of the incredible parents who have been through the worst.”
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Parents for Safe Online Spaces (ParentsSOS), is an educational initiative created by families who have lost children as a result of online harms. The initiative’s goal is to raise awareness about the importance of the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), a piece of legislation addressing growing concern about the impact of online and social media platforms on children and teens. The initiative can be found on X as @Parents4SOS, on Facebook as Parents for Safe Online Spaces, and online at https://www.parentssos.org/.
David’s Legacy Foundation is a non-profit organization whose mission is to eliminate cyber and other bullying, of children and teens, through education, legislation, and legal action. The foundation provides support for bullying victims, promotes kindness, and supports legislation that prohibits the cyberbullying of minors. For more information, visit www.davidslegacy.org.