Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) announced his support Thursday for a bill that would regulate for how social media platforms operate for young users.
Along with Schumer’s support, several LGTBQ+ advocacy organizations dropped their opposition to the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) after the sponsors updated the text, inching the bill closer toward passing.
Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) are the lead sponsors on the bill.
“Children and teens have been subjected to online harassment, bullying, and other harms for far too long. The Kids Online Safety Act will require social media companies to design their products with the safety of kids and teens in mind, provide parents tools to protect their kids and give families more options for managing and disconnecting from these platforms,” Schumer said in a statement.
“I look forward to working on a bipartisan basis with Senators Blumenthal and Blackburn to advance this bill in the Senate,” he continued.
The bill now has a total of 62 co-sponsors in the Senate, Blumenthal and Blackburn announced Thursday, enough votes to pass in the Senate even with the filibuster rule in place.
A Blumenthal spokesperson the update was drafted in close coordination with Congressional colleagues including the bill’s House champion Rep. Kathy Castor (D-Fla.). A spokesperson for Castor did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the future of KOSA in the House.
The update to KOSA comes after a heated hearing with the CEOs of Meta, TikTok, Discord, Snapchat and X, the company formerly known as Twitter.
Updated at 9:58 a.m.
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