The legislative battle over efforts to regulate social media platforms for children is ramping up again. This time, Apple is on board, endorsing a bipartisan bill in the Senate.
Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) reintroduced the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) today alongside a letter from Apple saying the bill would have a “meaningful impact on children’s online safety.”
You can read the full letter by Timothy Powderly, a senior director of government affairs in the Americas for Apple, here.
Powderly also praised Blackburn and Blumenthal for their work in addressing “potential unintended consequences of KOSA.” Powderly cited the company’s hope for comprehensive privacy legislation. Apple has been facing a legislative onslaught over its App Store lately.
KOSA would regulate the design of social media apps to try to boost safety protections for the youngest users while imposing a legal duty to care for kids on the platforms. Blackburn released a copy of the bill she introduced today back in December. At the time, it drew support from Elon Musk.
An earlier version of the bill passed the Senate with 91 votes. But House GOP leadership worried the bill could lead to the censorship of conservatives online. The revised text didn’t sway Speaker Mike Johnson, and the bill died last year.
Still a longshot? The politics haven’t gotten easier. And behind the scenes, the legislative coalitions backing KOSA are fraying.
The Senate Commerce Committee is trying to move away from the Musk-endorsed bill and toward something that can pass in the House. At the same time, divisions between Republicans and Democrats who led the House version of KOSA appear to be widening.
Still, beyond Apple and Musk’s X app, Blackburn rolled out an impressive list of endorsers among parents, kids’ groups and conservatives.
“Congress must not cave to the wills and whims of Big Tech, and we must not be bullied into submission,” Blackburn said in a statement.
Senate leaders also made a show of support. Majority Leader John Thune and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer both joined the reintroduction.
