Oppose S. 1748 The Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA)

The S. 1748 Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) poses a grave threat to free speech online by imposing overly broad and vague obligations on internet platforms. Its "duty of care" provisions compelling platforms to mitigate loosely defined "harms" to minors are ripe for abuse by government actors seeking to censor speech under the guise of child protection. KOSA's definition of covered platforms is alarmingly expansive, potentially capturing any website or service minors may access. History has shown how child protection rationales can enable censorship of legitimate expression. KOSA's revised language still risks undermining First Amendment rights by pressuring platforms to over-censor controversial but lawful content. Its weak preemption clause leaves the door open for an even more restrictive patchwork of state laws. I urge you to reject KOSA and any proposals that would compel online censorship under the pretext of child safety. Protecting free expression while empowering families with tools to control what content their children can access should be the guiding principle. Overly broad government mandates risk stifling public discourse to society's detriment.