📱Bipartisan Kids Online Safety Act could censor LGBTQ content with 63 senators backing
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Constitutional Law
Technology & Innovation
Senators Blackburn (R-TN) and Blumenthal (D-CT) reintroduced the Kids Online Safety Act with support from 63 senators, giving the FTC power to force social media platforms to remove content deemed "harmful to minors." Critics worry that with Trump appointees controlling the FTC, this vague standard could be used to suppress LGBTQ content, sex education, and reproductive health information.
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Key Takeaways
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Why This Matters
🚨 Child safety language could enable broad internet censorship:
The bill requires platforms to filter out undefined "harmful" content, but with Trump FTC commissioners deciding what counts as harmful, LGBTQ youth might lose access to supportive communities and health resources
🤝 Democratic senators provide bipartisan cover for potential censorship tools:
Blumenthal genuinely wants to protect kids from online harm, but he creating legal frameworks that Trump appointees could use to remove LGBTQ visibility, discussions of racism, and other content that challenges conservative viewpoints
📱 This overrides stronger state privacy protections:
The bill preempts more protective state laws in California and Illinois, creating a weaker national standard that could benefit tech companies while claiming to regulate them more strictly
👪 Parents lose control to federal bureaucrats:
Instead of giving parents better tools to monitor their children internet use, the bill lets federal officials make content decisions for all families, potentially undermining the parental rights that conservatives claim to support
🔇 Tech companies will likely over-censor to avoid government penalties:
Platforms will probably remove anything remotely controversial rather than risk FTC enforcement, creating a chilling effect that silences legitimate discussions about politics, identity, and social issues
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Detailed Content
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How many senators support the reintroduced Kids Online Safety Act?
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Which agency would enforce KOSA's "duty of care" requirements?
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How many advocates delivered letters opposing KOSA's potential censorship?
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What specific content do critics fear KOSA will suppress?
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Who are the primary sponsors of the Kids Online Safety Act?
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How does KOSA give Trump's appointees power over online content?
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What happens to state privacy laws under KOSA's federal preemption?
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How might KOSA affect discussion of political and social issues online?
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What alternative approaches could protect children online without government censorship?
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KOSA would strengthen existing state privacy laws in California and Illinois.
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Platforms will likely under-censor to avoid government punishment under KOSA.
True/False
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