Senators <a target="_blank" data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:1;pos:1" class="link " href="https://x.com/SenBlumenthal/status/1865411937183428834″ rel=”nofollow noopener” target=”_blank” data-ylk=”slk:Richard Blumenthal;elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:1;pos:1;itc:0;sec:content-canvas”> and <a target="_blank" data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:2;pos:1" class="link " href="https://x.com/MarshaBlackburn/status/1865399988894957638″ rel=”nofollow noopener” target=”_blank” data-ylk=”slk:Marsha Blackburn;elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:2;pos:1;itc:0;sec:content-canvas”> announced on Saturday that they have made changes to the Child Online Safety Act (KOSA) with the help of expression”. The Senate voted 91-3, but it has since been deadlocked in the House and advocates are pushing for it to pass before the end of the year. x CEO Linda Yaccarino also posted about the collaboration and called on Congress and the House to pass the bill.
“After working with the bill's authors, I am proud to share that we have made progress to further protect freedom of expression while keeping minors safe online.” <a target="_blank" data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:4;pos:1" class="link " href="https://x.com/lindayaX/status/1865398245192540560″ rel=”nofollow noopener” target=”_blank” data-ylk=”slk:Yaccarino;elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:4;pos:1;itc:0;sec:content-canvas”> he wrote in a post on x that was shared by the two senators. KOSA aims to protect minors from “addictive” features of social media and potentially dangerous content by imposing a “duty of care” on the companies that own the platforms. But critics have argued it could lead to censorship and other harm. The new changes, according to <a target="_blank" data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:5;pos:1" class="link " href="https://www.theverge.com/2024/12/7/24315520/kids-online-safety-act-kosa-x-update-johnson-scalise” rel=”nofollow noopener” target=”_blank” data-ylk=”slk:The Verge;elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:5;pos:1;itc:0;sec:content-canvas”>, clarify the conditions under which the duty of care can be enforced and limit its application to anxiety and depressive disorders, stating that they must be “objectively verifiable” and linked to “compulsive use.”
In their joint statement, Blumenthal (D-Connecticut) and Blackburn (R-Tennessee) said:
These changes should once and for all eliminate the false narrative that this bill would be used as a weapon by unelected bureaucrats to censor Americans. We thank Elon and Linda for their bold leadership and commitment to protecting children online and for helping us get this bill over the finish line this Congress. We appreciate that this endorsement and revised text reflects your publicly stated goal of promoting freedom of expression without fear of censorship. We reiterate x's call to approve KOSA before the end of the year; It is clear that this legislation has overwhelming support in Congress.
KOSA was first introduced in February 2022 and has faced opposition from groups such as the ACLU and the Electronic Frontier Foundation. It has been reviewed several times.
