‘Kids Online Safety Act’ Introduced into the U.S. House; PTC Urges Passage

LOS ANGELES (April 11, 2024) – The Parents Television and Media Council (PTC) commended the U.S. House for introducing the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), saying that online child protection is urgently needed to help stem the harms children are experiencing. The PTC also called on the U.S. Senate to bring KOSA up for a vote.

“It is critical for Congress to pass online child protection legislation like the Kids Online Safety Act, the Children and Teens Online Privacy Protection Act 2.0, the EARN IT Act, among others. And now that the House has introduced the KOSA companion bill, there is simply no reason, and no excuse, for Congress not to ensure our children are better protected online,” said Melissa Henson, vice president, Parents Television and Media Council.

The Kids Online Safety Act (H.R. 7891) was introduced by Reps. Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.), Kathy Castor (D-Fla.), Erin Houchin (R-Ind.), and Kim Schrier (D-Wash.), and is designed to hold social media companies and other digital platforms accountable for protecting children online and requires stringent safety and privacy settings to be on by default.

“Our children face an online world that is primarily designed for adults, with little to no protections for them. They are up against powerful algorithms that feed harmful content to them. They can interact with adults who may turn out to be predators and fall victim to sextortion schemes. They can access sexually explicit and graphically violent content with a click of a button. Congress must hold the tech industry accountable for protecting our children,” said Henson.

The Parents Television and Media Council has created a Resource Center for parents and caregivers with the latest information and research about protecting children online and from explicit media marketed to them.