Parent Survivors Respond to Senator Rand Paul’s Blockage of the Kids Online Safety Act

The Senate Adjourned for the Midterm Elections on Wednesday Night after Failing to Move KOSA Forward 

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) — Today, Parents for Safe Online Spaces (ParentsSOS), a coalition of families whose children died from online harms, issued the following statement in response to Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) blocking an effort from Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) to pass by unanimous consent the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA):

“To say we are disappointed by the Senate’s adjournment for recess after Senator Paul’s blockage of the Kids Online Safety Act would be an understatement,” said Joann Bogard, mother of Mason Bogard, forever 15, founding member of ParentsSOS.

“We have been fighting tirelessly for years, through multiple Congressional sessions, to pass this bill that could have saved our children’s lives. The Senate’s failure to vote on KOSA not only minimizes the loss of our own children, but also gives space for more children to be harmed online. KOSA has bipartisan support from over three-quarters of the US Senate and would have sailed through the Senate if given the chance.

“We expect KOSA to be the first priority for Senate leadership after the election. Families simply can't wait any longer for a safer, less addictive internet." ■