Opinion: Congress stalls on children’s online safety as Big Tech resists
This opinion piece argues that Congress has not acted on the Kids Online Safety Act despite broad bipartisan backing. It cites former Facebook employee Frances Haugen’s warnings and contends that Big Tech’s financial interests have kept lawmakers from imposing protections for children online.
The essay ties stalled action to a 2021 Senate appearance by former Facebook employee Frances Haugen, who said lawmakers needed to intervene. It notes that the Kids Online Safety Act, introduced in 2022 by Sens. Marsha Blackburn and Richard Blumenthal, won Senate approval in 2024 as part of a broader package on a 91-3 vote, but did not become law.
The piece also contrasts later House legislation, passed 267-117, that omitted a duty-of-care requirement, with the Senate version. It says the Senate Commerce Committee advanced the Senate bill again in August, and a September unanimous-consent request failed after Sen. Rand Paul raised speech concerns.
If Congress remains inactive, children and families may continue to face online risks that the proposed safeguards were meant to address, while platforms could retain current design and business practices. Parents and child-safety advocates may see the delay as a signal that lobbying outweighs public concern, potentially deepening distrust of both lawmakers and technology firms. The outcome could also shape how future legislation balances child protection with free-expression concerns.