Allies of President-elect Trump are pressuring House leaders to take up legislation overhauling how social media companies deal with users under 18 – but time is running short with just two weeks left in this congressional term.
Elon Musk is among the figures in Trump’s orbit pushing for the legislation, and his company X has been involved in talks on reshaping the bill to alleviate concerns about some provisions.
The Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) overwhelmingly passed the Senate earlier this year in a 91-3 vote. It hit a snag in the House of Representatives, however, where Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., have both expressed reservations.
House leaders were worried the bill would give the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) too much power, and that it could open the door to censorship of certain viewpoints.
ELON MUSK AND VIVEK RAMASWAMY AGREE ON ‘NEED TO SCRUTINIZE’ US FUNDING FOR NGOS
“When X testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee last January, we committed to working with Congress on child safety legislation. We’ve heard the pleas of parents and youth advocates who seek sensible guardrails across online platforms, and the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) addresses that need. After working with the bill authors, I’m proud to share that we’ve made progress to further protect freedom of speech while maintaining safety for minors online,” Linda Yaccarino, CEO of X, wrote on the platform this weekend.
“We urge Congress and the House to pass the Kids Online Safety Act this year.”
Musk wrote in response, “Protecting kids should always be priority #1.”
Donald Trump Jr., also sounded off Sunday, “We can protect free speech and our kids at the same time from Big Tech. It’s time for House Republicans to pass the Kids Online Safety Act ASAP.”
“KOSA is the right thing to do to protect our kids from dangerous online content – while still preserving free speech. Let’s pass this commonsense legislation now!” Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Trump’s former press secretary, also chimed in.
The bill’s leaders, Sens. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., thanked Musk and Yaccarino in their own statement.
DEMOCRATIC LAWMAKER OPEN TO ‘BIPARTISAN COOPERATION’ IN ELON MUSK’S DOGE PLANS
“These changes should eliminate once and for all the false narrative that this bill would be weaponized by unelected bureaucrats to censor Americans,” Blackburn and Blumenthal said. “We appreciate that this endorsement and revised text reflects their publicly stated goal of furthering free speech without fear of censorship. We reiterate X’s call to pass KOSA by the end of the year – it is clear that this legislation has overwhelming support from Congress.”
When reached for comment, Johnson told Fox News Digital on Monday, “As a parent, I am passionate about addressing children’s online safety. And as an attorney and a legislator, I have worked on the protection of children my entire career.”
“I have been and continue to be open to working on a solution that protects kids online while continuing to protect the free speech rights of all Americans. It’s essential to get this issue right and House Republicans look forward to working with the Trump Administration to get the right bill into law,” Johnson said.
Fox News Digital also reached out to Scalise’s office for comment on the most recent version of the bill and on the Trump allies’ push.
When asked last week whether there could be a KOSA vote this month, Scalise told Fox News Radio, “We still are working through some of the problems that give power to, for example, to an unelected bureaucrat who’s under investigation for abuse of power.”
Johnson told Punchbowl News in October that some details of the bill were “problematic.”
At least one senior House GOP aide who spoke with Fox News Digital is not optimistic that much can be done in the last two weeks Congress has in Washington this year, however.
When asked what the odds were of KOSA getting a House-wide vote this month, the aide bluntly responded via text: “0.”
GOP SENATOR ANNOUNCES ‘DOGE ACTS’ TO BACK MUSK, RAMASWAMY GOVERNMENT COST-CUTTING OBJECTIVES
Fox News Digital reached out to the Trump transition team for comment.
KOSA is one of the most significant social media safety bills passed by the Senate in years.
It would put the onus on social media companies to prevent and mitigate potential harm that could be caused to users under age 17.
The bill would also force platforms to block addictive components for minor users and make it easier for minors to protect their information, among other measures.
Fox News Radio’s Ryan Schmelz contributed to this report.
