Big Tech has spent years hooking kids on addictive platforms while ignoring the mental health crisis unfolding in real time — teen depression doubled between 2010 and 2019, and nearly a third of girls considered suicide in 2021. KOSA finally forces platforms to put kids first with real safety defaults, parental controls and a duty of care. Congress stepping in isn't overreach; it's long overdue accountability.
KOSA hands the FTC and 50 state attorneys general a vague regulatory hammer that will inevitably pressure platforms into censoring constitutionally protected speech far beyond anything targeting actual harm. Age verification mandates would gut anonymous speech — a cornerstone of American democracy since the Founding era. A bill this broad doesn't protect kids; it gives whoever holds power a tool to police ideas.
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