Big Tech Ramps Up Lobbying as Industry Seeks to Thwart Legislation to Protect Kids Online

It has been almost three months since the Kids Online Safety and Privacy Act was passed with nearly unanimous approval in the Senate. While 90% of the electorate believes in the importance of combating the harms caused by social media platforms, the House of Representatives has yet to vote on this much-needed legislation, with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) recently calling the measure “very problematic” and refusing to allow the bill to move forward.

Against this backdrop, several major tech companies and their affiliated trade associations have invested record-breaking sums into influence operations on Capitol Hill, a new Issue One analysis of recently filed federal lobbying reports shows — as the tech industry attempts to derail much-needed commonsense social media guardrails that have been supported by Democrats and Republicans alike.

Together, Big Tech has pumped more than $51 million into lobbying thus far in 2024, nearly 14% more than the amount the same organizations collectively spent on lobbying during the same time period in 2023.

Social media giants Meta (the parent company of Facebook and Instagram) and ByteDance (the parent company of TikTok) have combined to spend about $225,000 on lobbying per day Congress has been in session in 2024. The two companies’ influence operations collectively  include more than 100 lobbyists, or one lobbyist for every five members of Congress.

Meta alone spent a record $18.9 million on lobbying during the first nine months of 2024 — a 29% increase from what it spent on lobbying during the same period in 2023, and the most the company has spent between January and September in any year since it first started federal lobbying in 2009. This includes more than $5 million in the third quarter alone. Meta’s lobbying efforts in 2024 have been powered by 66 lobbyists — one for every eight members of Congress. 

Similarly, ByteDance spent a record $8.1 million on lobbying during the first nine months of 2024  — a 9% increase from what it spent on lobbying during the same period in 2023, and the most the company has spent between January and September in any year since it first hired federal lobbyists in 2019. This includes $2 million spent in the third quarter alone. ByteDance’s lobbying efforts in 2024 have been powered by 53 lobbyists — one for every 10 members of Congress.

“Social media companies are continuing to spend millions on lobbyists and lies to kill legislation that would establish responsible online safeguards that would protect the futures of our children and our democracy,” said Issue One Vice President of Technology Reform Alix Fraser. “Despite this lobbying blitz, the House should follow the Senate’s lead in passing the Kids Online Safety and Privacy Act to create a healthier online environment. Elected officials must listen to the voices of the people and hold Big Tech accountable.”

Two tech-aligned trade associations and one other tech company have also intensified their lobbying efforts in Washington this year.

• NetChoice — a trade association formed in 2001 whose members today include tech giants such as Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, Snap, and X — spent a record $550,000 on lobbying during the first nine months of the year, a 57% increase from what it spent during the same period in 2023 and the most the association has spent in between January and September in any year since it first began lobbying in 2010. This includes $170,000 in the third quarter alone.

• TechNet — a trade association formed in 1997 whose members today include tech companies such as Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, OpenAI, and Snap — spent a record $2.1 million on lobbying during the first nine months of 2024 — an increase of 8% from what it spent during the same period in 2023. This includes $610,000 in the third quarter alone.

• Snap, the parent company of Snapchat, spent a record $780,000 on lobbying during the first nine months of 2024, a 15% increase from what it spent during the same period in 2023. The sum is the most the company has spent between January and September in any year since it first began lobbying in 2014. This includes $140,000 in the third quarter alone.

• OpenAI, the company behind the popular AI tool known as ChatGPT, spent $1.25 million on lobbying during the first nine months of the year, including $430,000 in the third quarter alone. This brings the company’s lobbying expenditures since hiring its first-ever federal lobbyists in the fourth quarter of 2023 to more than $1.5 million.

Meanwhile, two major tech companies and one other tech-aligned trade association spent about the same amount on lobbying during the first nine months of 2024 as compared to the same period in 2023.

• Alphabet, the parent company of Google and YouTube, spent $11.1 million on lobbying in the first nine months of 2024. This includes $3.8 million in the third quarter alone, the most the company has spent in any quarter in 2024.
• Microsoft, the parent company of LinkedIn and a major player in the emerging market of generative artificial intelligence (AI), spent $7.9 million on lobbying during the first nine months of 2024. This includes $2.8 million in the third quarter alone, the most the company has spent in any quarter in 2024.
• Internet Works, a trade association whose members include small to medium sized tech companies, spent $320,000 on lobbying in the first nine months of 2024. This includes $80,000 in the third quarter alone.

Among major social media companies, just X, the company formerly known as Twitter, invested less on lobbying expenditures during the first nine months of 2024 than the same period in 2023.

Between January and September, X spent $560,000 on lobbying, a decrease of 19% from what it spent in the same time frame in 2023.

While X has decreased its lobbying presence on Capitol Hill, CEO Elon Musk has placed himself at the forefront of former President Donald Trump’s campaign, donating about $75 million to his pro-Trump super PAC and pledging to give away $1 million per day until Election Day to voters in swing states who signed his super PAC’s petition.