Attorneys General Urge Congress to Pass Kids Online Safety Act, Age Verification Remains Open Question
Forty-five state and territorial attorneys general are advocating for the passage of the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), urging Congress to enact the Senate version of the legislation. This bipartisan coalition, led by the attorneys general of Connecticut, Hawaii, Ohio, and Tennessee, emphasizes the need for federal legislation to establish nationwide protections for minors online, extending beyond the recent multi-billion-dollar settlement with Meta. In a November 3 letter to congressional leaders, the attorneys general specifically endorsed KOSA, which aims to set minimum safety standards for online platforms while preserving states' authority for stronger protections. The legislation, however, explicitly states it does not mandate age verification or age gating, nor does it require platforms to collect additional personal information to determine a user's age. Instead, the amended Senate bill directs the Commerce Department, in collaboration with the FCC and FTC, to study the technological feasibility of...