Supporters of the Kids Online Safety Act are taking their pressure campaign to Speaker Mike Johnson’s literal home turf as they push him to move the bill during the upcoming lame-duck session.
A group of the bill’s supporters are placing digital ads on smartphones within a two-mile radius of Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, La., on Saturday for the LSU football game. The advocates say they chose that matchup against Ole Miss because Johnson is scheduled to do the coin toss.
The speaker’s office didn’t respond to questions about his schedule, which can change at the last minute.
The effort comes from a coalition of tech accountability groups, youth advocates and parents. The group is escalating its push to get Johnson to override other senior Republicans’ issues with the bill, which would require large social media companies to design their platforms for the safety of young users.
The advocates will also buy space on screens near the stadium — at gas stations, restaurants, etc. — and hand out swag to tailgaters. The ads feature images of Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and then groups of kids. “Are you on his team or theirs?” they ask.
Here’s Alix Fraser, director of the Council For Responsible Social Media, which is (ahem) quarterbacking the pressure campaign:
Tensions in leadership: Louisiana is, of course, home to both Johnson and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise. Advocates view Scalise as the major holdup and are hoping Johnson would be willing to act on his own.
We’ve reported how Scalise’s team confronted top supporters, including Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.) and Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.). Scalise is worried about KOSA’s possible effect on speech and the breadth of the legal “duty of care” requirements it would impose on platforms.
The KOSA coalition had started with smaller ad buys in D.C. and Louisiana. Now, the group is looking to spend nearly a half-million dollars this fall. They’re also planning an event in Louisiana next week with parents who believe social media contributed to the death or severe mental suffering of their children.
KOSA passed the Senate in July with 91 votes. But getting the bill through the House has been a different matter. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (Tenn.), the lead Senate Republican on the bill, has been among those lining up conservative support.
So far, GOP House leaders haven’t budged
