The Kid Online Safety Act (KOSA) was reintroduced in May 2023 and is still pending. This bi-partisan bill was introduced by Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN). It sets requirements that platforms must follow to protect minors from any promotion of self-harm, suicide, eating disorders, substance abuse, inappropriate content, or other things that may affect their physical or mental health.
KOSA would mandate parental consent for children under age thirteen when creating online accounts to require providers to give parents abilities to change privacy settings. This gives parents control over any financial transactions their child makes. This bill has yet to be passed but is under consideration.
A parent of three young children and one of D128’s English teachers, Amy Christian shared her opinion of the bill.
“I feel like the internet, as it gets bigger and more nebulous, finding ways to put in some stopgaps makes me feel comfort,” she said.
KOSA sets restrictions and boundaries that reassure parents who wish to protect their children.
“As a parent, I know a lot about the research about how teens especially are impacted by social media,” Christian said. “As my kids get older, I could see them maybe getting frustrated having to have conversations with me like, ‘Mom, why is this blocked? Why won’t you let me see this?’ But I kind of welcome that.”
Erin Jaffe, a yoga and dance teacher at Vernon Hills, said KOSA supports the values and practices in her home. She believes it strengthens parental values such as teaching social media responsibility and the process of earning trust.
“So hopefully, [my children] would be understanding and appreciative that they have freedom, but they also have boundaries within that,” Jaffe said.
From a teenager’s perspective, Verda Unlu (12) said KOSA was able to protect her from individuals online who post inappropriate things and promote bad actions. Considering she has younger siblings, this would protect them as well.
“At some age around 10 or 11, I feel it’s acceptable to have restrictions on younger individuals,” Unlu said. “However, as a 17-year-old, almost 18, I don’t find it necessary that [parents] access my history.”
Saloni Karwa (12) said the bill would be a good addition to safety online, considering most statistics show media as the driving factor of mental illnesses. They believed it could potentially violate the First Amendment for some individuals who view social media in a more positive light.
“I could see how it affects others because of social media, how they connect with other people, so maybe it can restrict, limit, or even break connections,” Karwa said.