The Kids Online Safety Act purports to protect young people from the corrosive and toxic aspects of social media, but instead of taking sharp aim at that problem provides politicians and bureacrats with a general-purpose tool to shut down websites they don't like on the pretext of protecting children from vaguely-defined harms.
The members of Congress who vote for this bill should remember—they do not, and will not, control who will be in charge of punishing bad internet speech. The Federal Trade Commission, majority-controlled by the President's party, will be able to decide what kind of content "harms" minors, then investigate or file lawsuits against websites that host that content.
Politicians in both parties have sought to control various types of internet content. One bill sponsor has said that widely used educational materials that teach about the history of racism in the U.S. causes depression in kids. Kids speaking out about mental health challenges or trying to help friends with addiction are likely to be treated the same as those promoting addictive or self-harming behaviors, and will be kicked offline. Minors engaging in activism or even discussing the news could be shut down, since the grounds for suing websites expand to conditions like "anxiety."
Did you know that teaching children about the history of racism causes depression? Right-wing U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn knows exactly what use this law is good for. Adds the EFF's Joe Mullin: "KOSA will lead to people who make online content about sex education, and LGBTQ+ identity and health, being persecuted and shut down as well"
