The ongoing battle over the Kids Online Safety Act has reached new heights, with Big Tech spending nearly $90 million to lobby against the bill’s provisions aimed at protecting children from the dangers of social media. The bill, which has already passed the Senate with bipartisan support, faces significant opposition as Big Tech companies like Meta and Alphabet work to prevent it from becoming law.
The legislation, championed by Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), would impose a legal “duty of care” on social media companies, requiring them to take steps to protect young users from issues like online bullying, addiction, and sexual exploitation. This provision has drawn the ire of Big Tech, which fears that it would lead to costly lawsuits and increased regulation.
Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, and Alphabet, which owns Google and YouTube, have spent millions lobbying lawmakers in both parties to oppose the bill. They have framed the bill as a threat to free speech, with progressives warning that it could lead to censorship of LGBTQ content and conservatives expressing concerns about the suppression of anti-abortion viewpoints.
These lobbying efforts have successfully created division in the House of Representatives, where some lawmakers are now questioning the bill’s potential impact on free speech. The House Freedom Caucus, along with conservative figures like Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) and Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA), has expressed opposition to the bill, citing fears of government overreach.
Despite the powerful lobbying campaign, the bill’s supporters remain resolute. Advocates argue that the safety of children online should be the primary concern, and they point to the tragic stories of parents who have lost children due to social media-related suicides as evidence of the need for stronger protections. These parents have joined the fight for the bill, emphasizing that the harm done to children through social media addiction and exploitation is far too great to ignore.
With Big Tech’s efforts to block the bill intensifying, it remains to be seen whether the voices of concerned parents and child safety advocates can overcome the influence of corporate lobbying.
