Big Tech Scores a Win at Today’s House Energy and Commerce Markup

In response to the House Energy and Commerce Committee voting to advance the KIDS Act (H.R. 7757), which includes a version of the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), Issue One Technology Policy Lead Isabel Sunderland issued the following statement:

“Today’s House markup makes clear that HR 7757 is a win for Big Tech, not kids. Parent and youth advocates, along with civil society organizations, have engaged in good faith and worked tirelessly since KOSA was first introduced in 2022 to build a bipartisan bill that would meaningfully protect young people online.

“The version of KOSA advanced by the House Energy and Commerce Committee today undermines that work. The bill strips out the critical duty of care provision that would hold companies accountable for the harms they cause. No other industry enjoys the sweeping immunity that Big Tech does, and the duty of care would have begun to crack that shield. It also weakens the knowledge standard in ways that give Big Tech a blank check, undermining the bill’s core protections. Most concerningly, it sets a preemption standard that eliminates strong, bipartisan children’s safety protections that states have already enacted.”

“From the beginning, advocates have met with lawmakers to raise serious concerns about the House version of KOSA and offer constructive proposals to strengthen the text. Those concerns are not reflected in the bill advanced today. We thank the members who spoke out on behalf of young people and parents and highlighted how this weakened, partisan version would harm families.

“We urge the House to strengthen KOSA before advancing it any further. Lawmakers should align the bill with the bipartisan Senate version — which has 75 co-sponsors and previously passed the Senate by an unprecedented 91–3 vote — and work closely with youth advocates and parents to ensure the legislation meaningfully protects young people online rather than handing another victory to Big Tech.”