1. United States
2. N.Y.
3. Letter

The KOSA Internet Censorship Bill poses a grave threat to online free speech and risks causing substantial harm to minors by driving valuable educational and support resources offline. Empowering the government to dictate what content is permissible for minors to access will inevitably lead to overreach and censorship of lawful speech on important topics like sex education, mental health, identity, and social issues. Furthermore, the vague language around prohibited content like causing "anxiety" opens the door for abuse by seeking to censor news, activism, and open discourse. While aiming to protect children is a laudable goal, KOSA's heavy-handed approach will do more to endanger youth by depriving them of vital online resources and communities. We cannot allow politicians and bureaucrats to become censors controlling what people can say and access online based on their own subjective views. Protecting free expression rights ultimately keeps society open and democratic. I urge you to oppose this misguided bill that trades away constitutional freedoms under the guise of child protection.