Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) is putting a bill regulating children’s access to social media front and center in his first legislative markup as chair of the Senate Commerce Committee.
The panel will vote Wednesday on the Kids Off Social Media Act, or KOSMA, which would prohibit social media companies from allowing children under 13 to create and maintain accounts. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), also would restrict algorithm-driven content recommendations to teens under 17 years old.
The bill’s inclusion shows that despite the failed effort last year to pass kids' online safety legislation, Cruz will prioritize regulating Big Tech’s impact on children in his new role.
