LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders has sent a letter to Congressional leadership urging them to pass the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA).
Under the proposed legislation, KOSA would create a "duty of care" for online sites and apps minors will use. That legal term would "require companies to take reasonable harm" for any platform children may use, according to an Associated Press report.
Those companies would have to "prevent and mitigate" any harm kids may face, which includes bullying, eating disorders, sexual exploitation, and more. KOSA would also require social media companies to provide children with the ability to protect their identity, disable certain features, and opt out of algorithms.
Sanders said she has seen firsthand the "rise in mental illness among my kids' generation" and noted the rise in depression and suicide rates in teens.
"The culprit is clear: unrestricted access to smartphones and social media," Sanders said in her letter to Speaker Mike Johnson, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
"Big Tech companies know their algorithms are harming kids," she continued. "They have been given chance after chance to fix the problem themselves; now, it is time for lawmakers to take action."
Sanders said KOSA is a step in the right direction "that preserves free speech rights on the internet" and noted that the bill passed the U.S. Senate with near unanimous support.
Some opponents of the bill, including the Electronic Frontier Foundation, describe it as a "dangerous and unconstitutional censorship bill" and that it would give state officials power to "target services and online content they do not like."
Another concern is that some platforms fear being sued for content that could be deemed "politically divisive."
The proposed law was introduced by Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and is awaiting progress in the U.S. House. President Joe Biden has indicated he would sign the bill into law if it makes it to his desk.
You can read Gov. Sanders' full letter by clicking here.
The Associated Press contributed to this story. The video attached is from a Feb. 2024 Senate hearing on child safety on social media.