Sen. Marsha Blackburn Urges House To Pass Kids Online Safety Act

U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) speaks on stage on the first day of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum on July 15, 2024 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Senator Marsha Blackburn has released a video urging the House of Representatives to pass the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), aimed at increasing children’s digital safety and privacy.

Following the bipartisan vote from the Senate to pass KOSA, Blackburn (R-Tenn.) released a video titled “Why We Must Pass the Kids Online Safety Act.” 

In the video, she highlighted the story of a 17-year-old who passed away after taking a fentanyl laced pill he had bought from someone off the social media platform Snapchat. 

Kathy, a Middle Tennessee mom, lost her teenage son to a fentanyl-laced pill he likely purchased on a social media platform.

Watch Kathy’s story to learn why Congress must pass the Kids Online Safety Act. pic.twitter.com/MZXdt0T8Bc

— Sen. Marsha Blackburn (@MarshaBlackburn) September 16, 2024

Thomas suffered fentanyl poisoning and died after taking what his mother called “counterfeit Xanax.”

“When Vaughn-Thomas didn’t wake up to his alarm, that’s when we found him,” the mother, Kathy, told Blackburn. “He took what he thought was a Xanax, it was a counterfeit Xanax [laced with fentanyl].”

Blackburn, and co-author of the KOSA bill Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), said the bill would require social media platforms to protect underage kids from potentially harmful content, including limiting addictive features.

“We have found so many kids that are meeting these drug dealers online, and the precursors come from China into Mexico, and then the drug cartels bring it into the country,” Blackburn said. “Over 100,000 Americans a year die.”

In July, KOSA passed in the Senate in a 91-3 vote, along with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Action Act. 

Those who voted against it were Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah). The senators argued that it violated the First Amendment and that it would allow the executive branch too much power to censor content. 

Big tech companies are expected to lobby against the bill, having derailed a bipartisan data privacy bill in the House Energy and Commerce Committee last month and preventing antitrust legislation from being enacted.

A group of parents led by the advocacy group, ParentsTogether, recently delivered a petition supporting KOSA to House leaders. The petition received over 100,000 signatures, and boxes containing messages from parents about online safety were delivered to members of Congress.

The Hill reported that House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has expressed support for the bill. This comes despite the fact that House Republican leadership warned last month that it could lead to speech censorship and could grant the Federal Trade Commission new authority.

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