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On Tuesday, the US Senate passed a bill known as the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA). But what began as a desire to shield children from danger online has developed into an argument about the limits of freedom of speech and what is considered harmful content. KOSA would introduce a “duty of care” for platforms, which would require them to take steps to mitigate harm to children. Critics worry the definition of harm is too broad, and shouldn’t be determined by political appointees. On the left, LGBTQ+ advocates worry young people may lose access to queer communities and information about sex and gender. On the right, conservatives think anti-abortion positions may be blocked or removed from platforms. The bill now moves to the House, where many internet bills have gone to die (the last time a law protecting children online passed was in 1998). Since the discovery in 2021 of the detrimental effect Instagram can have on teenage mental health (and how much Meta knew about it), calls for regulation have been growing – including from groups that are against this bill. In an open letter last week, digital and civil rights activists including the ACLU said “changes are possible to improve the bill and reduce these concerns while keeping kids safe online.”
