1. United States
2. Md.
3. Letter

I am writing as your constituent to urge you to oppose the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) and the Kids Off Social Media Act (KOSMA). While I support efforts to protect children online, these bills take an overly broad and harmful approach that risks doing more damage than good—to young people, adults, and the open internet itself. Both KOSA and KOSMA would place sweeping burdens on independent websites and platforms; threatening free expression, especially for teenagers. By forcing platforms to verify users’ ages or tailor experiences based on vague “duty of care” requirements, these bills could lead to widespread censorship of lawful content—particularly content related to LGBT identities, mental health, and sexual education. Furthermore, these bills would require the collection of more personal data to comply with age verification mandates. That means adults, not minors, would have their sensitive information added to databases controlled by private companies like Clear and ID.me. This is a privacy risk, not a solution. A better approach would empower families and promote digital literacy, rather than outsource speech regulation to corporations or compel platforms to police content in ways that chill free speech. Parents should not be leaving young children unattended with a computer all day because they can't afford a babysitter; while teenagers should be educated on how to safely use new technology, not to fear it. Please stand up for the First Amendment, for online privacy, and for the open Internet by opposing KOSA and KOSMA.