1. United States
2. Wisc.
3. Letter

Vote NO on the Kids Online Safety Act I'm writing as your constituent today urging you to vote no on a dangerous bill known as the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), which would stifle free speech across the internet, leave marginalized children vulnerable to censorship and surveillance, and harm the very communities it claims to protect. As a parent to two LGBTQ+ kids it was very important to me that they be able to find online resources for help with any questions they might have and receive support online from like minded communities. If passed, KOSA would violate the First Amendment by encouraging platforms to censor speech that the government deems "harmful" for young people. This vague and overbroad language would incentivize platforms to remove content on topics that could be deemed anxiety-provoking to young people, such as gun violence or climate change, and make it harder for people, especially LGBTQ+ youth, to access important resources like mental health information, gender identity support, and reproductive care. While the bill's purported goal of addressing child safety online is laudable, ultimately KOSA would threaten young people's ability to use the internet to communicate, speak, and organize around the issues most important to them. Censorship does not keep kids safe. I’m urging you to vote against the Kids Online Safety Act and protect all of our right to free speech online. Sincerely,