KOSA establishes a legally relevant “duty of care” for social media companies, requiring platforms to alter design features such as algorithms that harm children. The bill is written to especially protect marginalized and vulnerable children from rampant online harms like child sexual exploitation, romantic fantasies, illicit drugs, suicide instruction, harassment, eating disorder content, and more. It’s critically important to hold social media companies accountable and ensure that parents have the tools, the safeguards, and the transparency they need to help protect young people in the virtual space.
Online platforms have fueled the extreme and unprecedented proliferation of child sexual abuse material. Law enforcement has repeatedly warned that children are groomed, enticed, exploited, trafficked, bullied, and abused online through the platforms we use every day. There are tens of millions of photos and videos circulating throughout the internet, showing the most heinous acts of sexual abuse and torture of children.
Senators Blackburn and Blumenthal have revised their bill to include additional protections for free speech and reinforce the fact that KOSA can only be applied to platform design features, such as algorithms, not content.
It is time for Congress to enact legislation to protect children from online child sexual exploitation and sex trafficking. Lawmakers need to hear from GFWC that action is necessary now! The health and safety of our children online must be a priority!