Kids Online Safety Act: Understanding KOSA

Online safety and privacy for our children should be a given. Parents and educators shouldn’t have to put parental controls over their kids’ online accounts, they should be protected by default. 

For years, parents and legislators have struggled to hold big tech accountable for the $11 billion they’ve made off of our children in advertising revenue. 

The passing of KOSA in the Senate marks a significant first step towards safeguarding our digital landscape. Now we now look to Congress and the President for support, knowing there is still a long road ahead.

What is the Kids Online Safety Act?

KOSA is the Kids Online Safety Act. It is well known, focusing on content safety and transparency. Another act also aims to create a safer online experience for children.

The Kids Online Safety and Privacy Act (KOSPA) serves as an umbrella legislation that incorporates two significant bills aimed at protecting children and teens online: the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) and the Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA 2.0). 

KOSA focused on establishing a “duty of care” for online platforms. This means requiring companies like Meta (Facebook, Instagram) or ByteDance (TikTok) to actively prevent and mitigate online harms that could affect minors, such as sexual exploitation, mental health risks, and cyberbullying. It also mandated that social media platforms provide tools for parents to manage their children’s privacy and account settings.

COPPA 2.0, on the other hand, was an update to the original 1998 COPPA legislation, expanding its protections to cover children up to age 17 (previously only up to age 13). This modernized version seeked to ban targeted advertising to children and teens and introduced measures like an “eraser button” to allow the deletion of personal information. 

By combining these two bills, KOSPA aims to create a comprehensive framework for protecting young users online, addressing both safety concerns and privacy issues. The passage of these acts will be a big move towards holding big tech accountable and ensuring that online platforms take a proactive stance to protect minors and prevent harms.

Who Voted Against the Kids Online Safety Act?

While KOSA has garnered significant bipartisan support (passing in the Senate 91 – 3), not everyone is on board. The debate surrounding the act touches on broader issues such as free speech and civil liberties, with some legislators wary of the implications that increased regulation might have on these fundamental rights. 

Despite the support, there are concerns about how the act might affect the balance between protecting children and maintaining civil liberties, notably how it might be enforced by the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general.

Senator Maria Cantwell, Chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, has been instrumental in leading the passage of KOSA, with support from many others, including Congressman Ro Khanna. 

Did the Kids Online Safety Act Pass?

KOSPA (and subsequently, KOSA) has passed in the Senate, but is now awaiting a vote in Congress. If Congress passes the final version of the bill, it will then be sent to the President for approval. Only after receiving the President’s signature will it become law. 

What Does This Mean? Implications of KOSPA

KOSPA passing could mean big things for parents and kids. By setting higher standards for online privacy protection and enforcing stricter regulations, the act aims to create safer digital spaces for our children.

Even if KOSPA becomes law, that doesn’t mean that social media companies won’t still try to pull one over on our kids and continue to violate their right to safety and privacy. 

Luckily, kids don’t have to compromise their own safety for connection. Kid phones and watches are a good example of the private sector providing options to protect kids by keeping them connected to friends and family without having their data sold or their privacy breached. 

The fight for parents is ongoing, but this is certainly an exciting step in the right direction. We’ll continue to update this article as the situation evolves and big tech companies are forced to take action. 

What questions do you have about KOSA or KOSPA? What should tech companies do to protect kids online? Let us know in the comments!

Author Morgan Dye

Morgan is a Gabb staff writer. She joined Gabb because she is dedicated to keeping children safe online. She loves watercolor and is an accomplished actress who can be found acting in her local theater productions.