A new version of the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), created by Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), was announced on Saturday by Linda Yaccarino, the CEO of X, who said she collaborated with the senators to create legislation that would prioritize youth safety while preserving the First Amendment.
Revealing the new legislation in a post to X, Yaccarino noted the company, which was formerly known as Twitter, vowed it would help Congress establish new laws to protect children during a January appearance in Congress alongside Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and TikTok CEO Shou Chew.
“When X testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee last January, we committed to working with Congress on child safety legislation. We’ve heard the pleas of parents and youth advocates who seek sensible guardrails across online platforms, and the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) addresses that need,” wrote Yaccarino in a Saturday post to X.
The X executive stated she worked with Blackburn and Blumenthal to draft a bill that will “further protect freedom of speech while maintaining safety for minors online.”
Yaccarino wrote, “Thank you to [Blackburn] and [Blumenthal] for your leadership, dedication and collaboration on this issue and landmark legislation. We urge Congress and the House to pass the Kids Online Safety Act this year.”
At X, protecting our children is our top priority. As I’ve always said, freedom of speech and safety can and must coexist. And as a mother, it’s personal.
When X testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee last January, we committed to working with Congress on child safety…
— Linda Yaccarino (@lindayaX) December 7, 2024
Blackburn expressed gratitude to Musk and Yaccarino for helping make changes to the KOSA, before sharing a statement by Donald Trump Jr., who urged House Republicans to pass the legislation.
“It’s time for House Republicans to pass the Kids Online Safety Act,” wrote Blackburn. “Let’s get this bill across the finish line and protect our children from Big Tech.”
Thank you, @elonmusk and @lindayaX, for your leadership. We can protect our children online and our freedom of speech! https://t.co/gVn963SkFv
— Sen. Marsha Blackburn (@MarshaBlackburn) December 7, 2024
Blumenthal similarly argued that the participation by X should assuage concerns over government censorship in his own posts to X.
“These changes should eliminate once [and] for all the false narrative that this bill would be weaponized by unelected bureaucrats to censor Americans.” Blumenthal wrote, “We appreciate that this endorsement [and] revised text reflects their publicly stated goal of furthering free speech without fear of censorship. We reiterate X’s call to pass KOSA by the end of the year—it is clear that this legislation has overwhelming support from Congress.”
Differences between the version of the KOSA submitted Saturday and the bill filed in December 2023 appear to include changes to the bill’s “duty of care” provision, which would hold big tech companies liable for harms, that restricts that legal liability to behavior explicitly named in the legislation, including bullying and sexual exploitation.
The updated legislation specifically prevents companies from being held liable for posts made by users “based upon the viewpoint of users expressed by or through any speech, expression, or information protected by the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States.”
Changes made with Yaccarino’s input also include exceptions for online platforms dedicated to providing educational or support services to minors, strengthens support for anonymous reporting of potential violations, and narrows the definitions of “harms” minors could encounter online.
The legislation would still require online platforms to automatically enable the strongest available privacy settings for minors, allow such users to disable features including algorithmic recommendations, and provide tools for parents to report dangerous content.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Sen. Marsha Blackburn” by Sen. Marsha Blackburn and image “Elon Musk” by Tesla Owners of America.
