Today, the Senate Commerce Committee marked up and reported out the “Kids Off Social Media Act” (KOSMA) to ban minors under the age of 13 from using social media platforms. The bill also prohibits social media companies from recommending content to all users under the age of 17 and requires schools to limit social media on their networks to avoid losing E-Rate funding. While this bill purports to protect minors, it primarily risks the privacy, safety, and First Amendment rights of children, including marginalized students who rely on school-provided internet access and devices to connect and communicate. Additionally, it limits students’ access to online platforms for educational purposes. Public Knowledge urges Congress to pass comprehensive privacy legislation instead to better protect everyone – including minors – online and off.
The following can be attributed to L’Allegro Smith, Government Affairs Policy Advocate at Public Knowledge:
“Creating safer social media channels for everyone will do more to protect kids than a bill that strips them of their First Amendment rights. Instead of supporting content moderation and better privacy features, this bill aims to cut kids off from online expression, limiting their access to news, political engagement, and educational resources at the threat of pulling a school’s E-Rate funding – a critical government program that helps schools and libraries afford internet access.
“If we want to actually improve our kids’ mental health, then we should really be supporting better social media product design, a competitive social media market that offers greater user controls and choice, and features that enable parents to limit kids’ screen time. Legislators should also increase access to platform data for researchers to help understand how collecting personal data, algorithmic design, and other design choices can limit harms to kids.
“Just kicking minors off all social media platforms limits their rights while also making them feel more alone – the opposite of supporting their mental health.”
You may view a letter Public Knowledge joined opposing the bill for more information.
Members of the media may contact Communications Director Shiva Stella with inquiries, interview requests, or to join the Public Knowledge press list at shiva@publicknowledge.org or 405-249-9435.