Dear Friend

"YouTube made me realize that I didn’t like my own body as much as I used to.” -15-year-old YouTube user

“I watched one or two videos and they took over my algorithm with really depressing and anxiety videos.” -14-year-old TikTok user

“Stuff that came up wasn’t for a kid.” -11-year-old Instagram user

These are testimonies collected from kids and teens who use social media. Even they recognize the harms that these platforms have on their lives, but many can’t seem to put down their phones.

That’s because tech companies intentionally design social media platforms to be addictive. They want to keep users hooked, no matter the cost.

And thanks to Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which grants tech companies near-blanket immunity from liability, they get away with it.

This is why the National Center on Sexual Exploitation, alongside Common Sense Media, Eating Disorders Coalition, Fairplay for Kids, Issue One, and ParentsSOS, has released a letter to Congress urging it to pass the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA, S.1748).

KOSA would hold tech companies accountable to the bare minimum when it comes to protecting child users online. It requires companies to design social media platforms with a reasonable level of care in order to prevent foreseeable harms to children.

Over 400 organizations, from every state, have signed on to this letter to Congress!

In the last congressional session, KOSA passed in the Senate 91-3! Sadly, Big Tech spent millions of dollars lobbying the House to sink this bill, and it was never put up for a vote in the House, despite clear bipartisan support.

But we know KOSA has the votes to pass. KOSA has 60 cosponsors in the Senate! Will you join us in demanding that Congress does right by our children?

📣ACTION: Urge Your Representatives to Support KOSA!