Senate Leaders Revive Bipartisan Bill to Hold Big Tech Accountable for Harming Kids Online
Reintroduction of KOSA is a test of whether Congress will act on a popular, bipartisan bill after tech CEOs like Mark Zuckerberg apologized to grieving families but failed to deliver change.
WASHINGTON, D.C., (May 14, 2025)— Parents for Safe Online Spaces (ParentsSOS) strongly supports the reintroduction of the bipartisan Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) in the U.S. Senate. This legislation, reintroduced by Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), is urgently needed to address the growing and well-documented harms that social media platforms continue to inflict on children and teens.
KOSA was first introduced in 2022 and passed the Senate Commerce Committee unanimously in both the 117th and 118th Congresses. In 2024, it received overwhelming support in a full Senate vote (91–3), reflecting widespread recognition that voluntary safety measures by tech companies have failed. Yet despite this momentum—and the mounting toll of preventable tragedies—the bill was never brought to a vote in the House. Its reintroduction offers a critical opportunity to finally turn years of advocacy, hearings, and headlines into meaningful, enforceable protections for families.
“Senators Blumenthal and Blackburn bring hope with the reintroduction of Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA). Senators from both parties sat down with survivor parents, they shared in our grief and learned about the many and varied online harms our children had endured," said Christine Pfister McComas, mother of Grace, forever 15, founder, Grace McComas Memorial & founding member of ParentsSOS. “And then finally in July 2024, the Senate passed KOSA by a resounding 91 to 3 vote. KOSA should have sailed through the U.S. House as well, but it stalled in December and has not moved at all in 2025. If the bill doesn't move forward this year in the House, it won’t be for lack of evidence. It will be because our political leaders have chosen Big Tech’s money over the lives of American children once again.”
“The reintroduction of KOSA is a test of whether Congress will finally stand with families instead of Big Tech,” said Josh Golin, Executive Director of Fairplay and Co-Founder of ParentsSOS. “This bill has withstood years of scrutiny, has enormous bipartisan support, and is the only federal legislation that addresses the wide range of design-caused harms experienced by children every day online. Lawmakers must seize this moment and finally deliver the protections children need.”
KOSA would establish a duty of care for platforms to prevent and mitigate harms to minors, including suicide, eating disorders, bullying, and exploitation—harms that ParentsSOS families have experienced firsthand. The bill would also give parents greater visibility and control, while empowering researchers and regulators to better understand the impact of platform design on young users.
ParentsSOS calls on members of Congress in both chambers to stand with families, not Big Tech. The time for hearings and headlines has passed. The time for action is now.
