Kids Online Safety Act reintroduced in Senate expected to pass with major support

Sens. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., reintroduced the Kids Online Safety Act with more than half of the Senate's backing, including Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, suggesting that the bill will be filibuster-proof when it comes to the floor.

On Thursday, Blackburn and Blumenthal announced that the revised bill had 62 senators on board, split evenly between both parties. If passed, it would be one of the largest Big Tech crackdowns in recent years, restricting content for minors that promotes substance abuse, the promotion of suicide, sexual exploitation and alcohol abuse. It would also mandate social media companies to implement certain controls to limit screen time, ban restrictive features and limit access to potentially harmful user profiles.

"This overwhelming bipartisan support for the Kids Online Safety Act—62 total co-sponsors, Democrats and Republicans—reflects the powerful voices of young people and parents who want Congress to act," lawmakers said in a joint statement.

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The fresh legislation comes just a few weeks after the CEOs of Discord, Snap, TikTok, X and Meta testified before a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing to discuss online child safety. It also addresses conerns raised by groups who opposed the legislation when it was first rolled out last year due to what they believed would be harmful to LGBTQ+ children.

GLAAD, a nonprofit LGBTQ+ advocacy group, and the Human Rights Campaign both rescinded their previous opposition to the bill.

"The recent watershed hearing with Big Tech CEOs showcased the urgent need for reform. With new changes to strengthen the bill and growing