Meta Platforms Inc. (Meta (META)) has done a complete 180 on the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA). After helping to sink the bill two years ago over free speech concerns, the company is now backing it. What changed? The White House is using KOSA as a vehicle to override state artificial intelligence laws, and Meta sees an opportunity to shift some of the burden of child safety onto app stores.
The bill, as currently written, would require tech companies to put in place online safety measures for kids—things like restricting harmful design features and letting users opt out of suggested content. But the key provision that won Meta over is the one that overrides state AI laws and mandates age verification for app store platforms like Alphabet Inc.'s Google (Alphabet (GOOGL)) and Apple Inc. (Apple (AAPL)). That moves some responsibility away from social media companies and onto the app stores themselves.
This is a classic Washington compromise. Tech industry groups hate the patchwork of state laws, and legislators want to protect kids online. KOSA offers a federal solution that preempts state rules. Meta has been a vocal supporter of the App Store Accountability Act, arguing that app stores should verify users' ages. Apple and Google, not surprisingly, have privacy concerns about that mandate.
KOSA and the App Store Accountability Act had been stuck in the Senate for over a year, but they've seen a resurgence in the past week after the White House pushed to supersede state AI laws. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), a co-sponsor of KOSA, told POLITICO he was unfamiliar with the details of the proposed package and expressed skepticism, saying the bill may be "significantly weakened."
Meta did not immediately respond to a request for comment.













