US Senate approves KOSMA bill, sparking debate over kids’ social media access

The US Senate Commerce Committee has given the green light to the “Kids Off Social Media” Act of 2025, or KOSMA. The legilation is aimed at keeping kids under 13 off certain social media platforms. But it also comes with changes to the Children’s Internet Protection Act that would ramp up surveillance in schools.

The bipartisan bill or S. 4213, was introduced by Democratic Senators Brian Schatz and Chris Murphy, as well as Republican counterparts Ted Cruz and Katie Britt, “to keep kids off social media and help protect them from its harmful impacts.”

In a joint statement, Schatz said: “There is no good reason for a nine-year-old to be on Instagram or Snapchat. The growing evidence is clear: social media is making kids more depressed, more anxious, and more suicidal.

“Yet tech companies refuse to anything about it because it would hurt their bottom line. This is an urgent health crisis, and Congress must act with the boldness and urgency it demands.”

Texan Republican Senator Cruz added: “Every parent I know is concerned about the online threats to kids—from predators to videos promoting self-harm, risky behavior, or low self-esteem.

“Many families have suffered due to Big Tech’s failure to take responsibility for its products. The Kids Off Social Media Act addresses these issues by supporting families in crisis and empowering teachers to better manage their classrooms.”

On top of banning kids under 13 from using social media, the bill also forces schools that get federal funding to block access to social media on their networks and devices. That means students using school-provided laptops or Wi-Fi wouldn’t be able to get on social media, no matter their age. Australia has already passed the world’s first law banning under-16s from using social media, sparking the ire of tech firms.

The Center for Democracy and Technology, along with groups like the ACLU, New America’s Open Technology Institute, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and Fight for the Future, are pushing for a more balanced approach. In the letter addressed to Cruz, the group states that the KOSMA bill “would actively undermine child safety, harm marginalized youth, erode privacy, and impose unconstitutional restrictions on young people’s ability to engage online.”

New Senate Bill Has Some Good Ideas But Would Fail to Achieve Goal of Protecting Kids Online

WASHINGTON—Today, the Senate Commerce Committee will mark up the Kids Off Social Media Act (KOSMA). While there are some good components and the Senators are rightly prioritizing… pic.twitter.com/V6BysDrOW9

— NetChoice (@NetChoice) February 5, 2025

NetChoice Director of State and Federal Affairs Amy Bos echoed the sentiment, saying: “To advance the important goal of protecting kids online without undermining privacy and fundamental American freedoms, policymakers should work with companies on educational initiatives for digital safety and ensure law enforcement has the necessary resources to investigate predators, prosecute them and keep them off the streets—and off the internet.”

In December 2023, ReadWrite reported that NetChoice, who were representing TikTok, Meta, and X, took legal action against Utah over a law aimed at protecting kids from addictive social media habits and other risks. The law would have required age verification for social media accounts and made it so minors couldn’t use these apps between 10:30pm and 6:30am without parental approval. But in September, a Utah district court judge sided with NetChoice and put the law on hold, arguing it violated the First Amendment.

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