Big Tech Opposes Kids Online Safety Act

Imagine driving with your children through a city filled with shocking, inappropriate billboards – images that attack their innocence at every turn.

You would try everything to protect them: black out car windows, take detours, but no matter how hard you try, you can’t protect them completely.

Now imagine families petitioning their city council to address public obscenity, simply asking that their children be allowed to move around in public places without fear of seeing harmful images of their children.

How do you think the billboard companies would respond? If they were anything like Big Tech’s response to the proposed legislation in Congress, they would unleash a firestorm of exaggerated claims, lobbyists, and manufactured outrage.

But unlike billboards, which can’t track or target your kids based on their vulnerabilities, Big Tech knows exactly who your kids are, what content grabs their attention, and how to keep their attention.

While kids spend about seven hours a week in the car, they spend up to nine hours a day online. And while most cities have regulations on billboards, Big Tech’s influence on our kids goes largely unchecked.

When parents rightly demand transparency and control over their children’s digital lives, Big Tech’s response is alarmist, accusing concerned parents of seeking censorship, government interference and even bad parenting.

But why the panic? Because Big Tech knows that the license to exploit our children for profit is running out.

The crucial role of this bill

The proposed Kids Online Safety Act, or KOSA, is our best chance in a generation to improve kids’ online safety. In July, the bill passed the Senate by an overwhelming vote of 91-3.

The momentum behind the legislation is being driven by the real stories of parents whose children might have been spared if KOSA protections had been in place.

Under the bill, stricter transparency requirements would allow a mother to see the extent to which cyberbullying is overwhelming her son. David Molak could still be here.

A father could use restrictions on direct messages to prevent predators from harassing his daughter. Grace McComas might still be here.

And harmful design features, like algorithms that push videos encouraging self-harm or suicide, would be banned. Annalee Schott might still be here. These are common sense rules that would save lives.

Big Tech’s False Claims

But Big Tech cries wolf and throws up smokescreens with three false claims: the Kids Online Safety Act is burdensome, illegal, and unconservative.

Let’s look at these arguments one by one.

Big Tech claims KOSA is too burdensome. The bill states that it would require age verification and limit what users can search for online. However, the text of the bill directly refutes these allegations:

Nothing in this Act shall be construed as requiring a Covered Platform to implement any age restriction or age verification functionality.

Nothing in (this Act) shall be construed as imposing an obligation on a platform to prevent or exclude a minor from intentionally and independently searching for content or specifically requesting content.

If Big Tech were truly concerned about regulatory burdens, it would embrace a tightly constructed, national framework like KOSA. Without such legislation, Big Tech would be faced with a patchwork of laws from different states, creating far more complex and costly compliance challenges.

Social media companies are being asked to prevent their platforms from using design features that promote harmful behavior toward children, such as suicidal behavior, substance abuse, addiction and sexual exploitation.

This is within their capabilities and does not pose a threat to their business model.

Big Tech claims KOSA violates the First Amendment. Legal precedents and societal norms have long protected children from certain forms of harm.

Is it unconstitutional for your city to ban pornographic billboards? Absolutely not.

The Kids Online Safety Act does not require companies to restrict appropriate content on their social media platforms, and it does not limit individual searches.

Protecting children from exploitative digital design features is lawful, necessary, and does not require violating the First Amendment rights of others.

Big Tech claims KOSA is not conservative. Conservatives weigh the costs and benefits of government policies, with a focus on protecting the family: the most important institution in society.

The Kids Online Safety Act embodies this principle. It was authored by conservative leaders Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla. The bill has overwhelming support from the Senate Republican Conference, grassroots organizations like Heritage Action, and 87 percent of Republican voters.

It’s no surprise that groups like the ACLU are opposing the bill. But that opposition only underscores how deeply conservative the values ​​behind the Kids Online Safety Act are.

Protecting parents’ sovereignty over their child’s digital lives isn’t just conservative, it’s a necessity.

Holding Big Tech Accountable

Don’t believe everything you read on the internet, especially if it comes from the internet itself.

The Kids Online Safety Act is a reasonable, carefully crafted measure to establish healthy rules to protect the innocence and well-being of our children.

Big Tech is crying wolf. It’s time to hold these companies accountable and fight for our children.