OTI and ACLU Lead Coalition in Highlighting Concerns with the Kids Off Social Media Act
Legislative and Regulatory Filings
Tirachard Kumtanom from Pexels
Feb. 4, 2025
New America’s Open Technology Institute (OTI) and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) led a group of 12 civil rights, digital rights, and civil liberties organizations in addressing a letter to members of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, highlighting four key concerns with the Kids Off Social Media Act (KOSMA).
These concerns include:
- A significant—and potentially unconstitutional—limitation on young people’s access to online services.
- Language that could encourage platforms to implement age verification, which threatens the speech and privacy of all users.
- The expansion of the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) in ways that would incentivize the invasive surveillance of children.
- Broad restrictions on algorithmic recommendation systems, which could drive young people to platforms that seem more functional, yet are less safe.
Instead of moving forward with KOSMA as written, we called on policymakers to focus on protecting the privacy of all users, enforcing existing laws against child exploitation, and ensuring that young people can safely navigate digital spaces.