Lawmakers are pushing the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) to protect children online, but it faces opposition from teenagers, LGBTQ groups, and free speech advocates who argue that it would endanger minors, violate First Amendment rights, and limit access to important information. Critics point to studies showing positive outcomes of social media for teens and argue that the bill would restrict access to vital resources and censor important topics. Gen Z activists express concerns that the bill would cut them off from the outside world and essential online communities, while tech policy experts emphasize the need for solutions that work without restricting access to information and community.
The US Senate Judiciary Committee will hear testimony from tech CEOs including Linda Yaccarino of X, Shou Zi Chew of TikTok, Evan Spiegel of Snap, Mark Zuckerberg of Meta, and Jason Citron of Discord on the topic of "Big Tech and the online child sexual exploitation crisis." The hearing, which begins at 10AM ET, will focus on the Kids Online Safety Act and will be streamed on the Judiciary Committee’s website, X account, Facebook account, and C-SPAN. The CEOs will discuss their companies' efforts to combat child exploitation, with Snap supporting the KOSA legislation, Zuckerberg advocating for better age verification and parental controls, and TikTok pledging $2 billion toward moderation. Senators aim to get the CEOs' support for the legislation despite industry lobbying efforts, and have released documents from Meta showing internal deliberations about youth safety initiatives.
