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Allies of President-elect Trump are pushing House leaders to pass legislation overhauling how social media companies deal with users under 18, but time is running out with just two weeks left in this congressional mandate.
Elon Musk is among the figures in Trump’s orbit pushing the legislation, and his company X has been involved in talks about reshaping the bill to ease concerns about some provisions.
Child Online Safety Act (KOSA) overwhelmingly surpassed the Senate earlier this year by a vote of 91-3. However, it ran into trouble in the House of Representatives, where Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., have expressed reservations.
House leaders were concerned that the bill would give too much power to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and could open the door to censorship of certain viewpoints.
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Elon Musk is one of Trump’s allies pushing House Republicans, led by Speaker Mike Johnson, to vote in the House on the Children’s Online Safety Act. (Getty Images)
“When X testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee last January, we committed to working with Congress on child safety legislation. We’ve heard the pleas of parents and advocates for young people who are looking for sensible barriers through online platforms and the Children’s Online Safety Act (KOSA) addresses this need After working with the bill’s authors, I am proud to share that we have made further progress in protecting free speech while keeping minors safe online.” . Linda Yaccarino, CEO of X, wrote on the platform this weekend.
“We urge Congress and the House to pass the Child Online Safety Act this year.”
Musk wrote in response, “Protecting children should always be the #1 priority.”
Donald Trump Jr., also said Sunday: “We can protect free speech and our children at the same time from Big Tech. It’s time for House Republicans to pass the Children’s Online Safety Act as soon as possible.” .
“KOSA is the right thing to do to protect our children from dangerous online content while preserving free speech. Let’s pass this common sense legislation now!” Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Trump’s former press secretary, also chimed in.
The bill’s leaders, Sens. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., thanked Musk and Yaccarino in their own statement.
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“We can protect free speech and our kids at the same time from Big Tech. It’s time for House Republicans to pass the Children’s Online Safety Act ASAP,” Donald Trump Jr. wrote. to X (AP Photo/John Raoux, file)
“These changes should remove once and for all the false narrative that this bill would be weaponized by unelected bureaucrats to censure Americans,” Blackburn and Blumenthal said. “We appreciate that this endorsement and the revised text reflect their publicly stated goal of promoting freedom of expression without fear of censorship. We reiterate X’s call to pass KOSA by the end of the year; it is clear that this legislation has overwhelming support from Congress.”
Fox News Digital reached out to both Scalise and Johnson’s offices for comment on the latest version of the bill and the push by Trump allies.
Asked last week if there could be a KOSA vote this month, Scalise said Fox News Radio“We’re still working through some of the issues that give power to, say, an unelected bureaucrat who’s under investigation for abuse of power.”
Johnson told Punchbowl News in October that some details of the bill were “problematic”.
At least one top House GOP aide who spoke to Fox News Digital isn’t optimistic that much can be done in the final two weeks that Congress is in Washington this year.
When asked what the odds were of KOSA getting a vote in the full House this month, the aide responded bluntly via text message: “0”.
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Senators Marsha Blackburn and Richard Blumenthal spearheaded the legislation in the upper house. (Associated Press)
Fox News Digital has reached out to Trump’s transition team for comment.
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KOSA is one of the most important social media security bills passed by the Senate in years.
It would be the responsibility of social media companies to prevent and mitigate potential harm that could be caused to users under the age of 17.
The bill would also force platforms to block addictive content for minor users and make it easier for minors to protect their information, among other measures.
Fox News Radio’s Ryan Schmelz contributed to this report.