Following the Senate’s vote to pass the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) and the Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA 2.0), the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), a prominent think tank for science and technology policy, issued a statement from Senior Policy Manager Ash Johnson.

"Congress has been rightfully prioritizing data privacy and children’s online safety this session, finally addressing the patchwork of state legislation that has arisen in the absence of a federal standard," Johnson stated. "But rushing to pass flawed bills will not effectively protect children and will only make the regulatory landscape worse for businesses and consumers."

KOSA aims to protect minors on social media platforms from content deemed harmful to children. However, Johnson noted that this opens the door to potential censorship by the FTC, which would have authority over what qualifies as harmful content. Additionally, platforms may resort to over-censorship to avoid liability.

COPPA 2.0 seeks to build on existing children’s privacy legislation by introducing additional protections for teens. According to Johnson, some provisions could be overly burdensome for businesses already complying with current laws, such as banning targeted advertising for anyone under 17 years old—thereby impacting revenue streams for ad-supported services aimed at teenagers.

"This country needs children’s online safety and privacy legislation that strikes the right balance between protecting consumers without infringing on their free speech rights or stifling innovation, which KOSA and COPPA 2.0 fail to do," Johnson emphasized.

Johnson recently released a policy report on children's online safety, which is available for reading along with her writings on KOSA and COPPA 2.0.

Contact: Nicole Hinojosa, [email protected]