If parents thought 2024 would be the year Congress passed legislation to protect their kids online, they were wrong. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his company Meta managed to hold it off, Ruth reports. Meta, once reviled by Republicans, has restored its relationship to the party and pushed off legislation that would have significantly changed its platform. The company deployed key lobbyists, campaign financing and other assets to convince lawmakers to take a fresh look at the issue next year. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) never brought the Kids Online Safety Act, which had already passed the Senate, to the House floor for a vote, citing First Amendment concerns. Despite immense pressure from parents, Congress left Washington without passing a bill that would have required social media companies to remove product features doctors say harm kids' health, such as endless content scrolling and notifications pulling them back onto the platform. Erin chatted with Ruth about why the bill stalled and what comes next for kids’ safety: Why did this kids' safety bill die and what does Meta have to do with it? The bill died over concerns that it violates free speech rights. Meta hasn’t said this publicly, but a large industry lobbying group it belongs to has repeatedly said the bill violates free speech and has sued states with similar laws on the books. It is also notable that Meta has disproportionately donated to House Republicans, where the bill ultimately stalled. KOSA's supporters say the bill doesn’t violate free speech and is a product liability bill. What are the implications of Zuckerberg's influence in Congress? Members of Congress have repeatedly aired frustrations over tech companies having too much sway in Washington, effectively preventing them from reaching consensus on how to regulate social platforms. After holding hearings and listening to Meta whistleblowers and researchers, they have enough data to make the case that, yes, social platforms are actively harming youth mental health. But this influence — the money, the concerns over free speech and the threat of lawsuits — may be keeping lawmakers in limbo. What are you watching in coming months along this storyline? The canary in the coal mine for this issue has been lawsuits. Parents of kids who were harmed by social media, who developed an eating disorder or severe depression or harmed themselves as a result of their online experiences, have sued large tech companies. Those suits are ongoing. Now, we’re starting to see kids self-harm after engaging with AI chatbots. KOSA doesn’t address that problem and I imagine lawmakers will have to think about that as they confront the issue next year.
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