Today, First Focus Campaign for Children sent a letter to Senators Ted Cruz, Brian Schatz, and Maria Cantwell, authors of S. 278, the “Kids Off Social Media Act” (KOSMA) to express our strong concerns with the legislation.
Excerpt from the letter:
While we appreciate the intent behind this legislation, we have concerns that the bill fails to address the root cause of harm on social media and places the responsibility on the children, limiting their rights, voice, and ability to access information rather than holding the social media platforms accountable. Rather than banning access to social media for children under 13 and restricting it for minors under 17, Congress should hold the companies accountable for the problematic features that have contributed to the children’s mental health crisis, while maintaining child rights. A blanket ban is not the answer. Instead, we would like to see platforms make changes that would benefit all Americans.