Florida Congressman Legislation to Protect Children and Teens from Online Harms

Florida Congressman Gus Bilirakis recently unveiled the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), legislation to protect children and teens from online harms.




The legislation would also provide parents with the safeguards and tools needed to better protect against serious online threats to kids’ well-being, according to the Florida Representative.

“Children and teens are constantly connected to devices, and their reality is now a blend of virtual and real-world experiences-conditions that have been proven to exacerbate isolation and negative social interactions, such as sexual abuse,” said Republican Rep. Gus Bilirakis, who is the Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade Subcommittee Chairman. “We’ve seen far too many children and teens succumb to tragedy after being exposed to dangers online. After multiple congressional hearings and whistleblower testimonies, there is widespread, bipartisan consensus that Big Tech is failing to mitigate risks, empower parents, and safeguard its youngest users. Our legislation will require them to do so.”

KOSA outlines a comprehensive series of safeguards that Big Tech platforms must implement to protect minors.

Specifically, the bill would:

• Define a set of harms to minors that online platforms must create policies, practices, and procedures to prevent and mitigate—including threats of physical violence, sexual exploitation, access to unlawful products for minors (such as narcotic drugs, tobacco, gambling, and alcohol), and financial harm caused by deceptive practices.
• Requiring independent audits to enforce these requirements and hold Big Tech accountable.
• Protect children from stalking and exploitation by directing online platforms to implement appropriate safety controls.
• Provide parents with new tools—including controls for safety settings, time tracking, purchase limits, and addressing compulsive usage. These tools must be enabled by default.
• Create a dedicated reporting mechanism requiring covered platforms to establish a channel for reporting harms to minors and to respond in a timely, substantive manner, taking into account platform size and urgency.
• Establish a Kids Online Safety Council comprised of parents, experts, platform representatives, federal agencies, state attorneys general, and youth voices, to advise on implementation.

Located in the Tampa Bay area, the 12th Congressional District includes all of Citrus County and Hernando County, as well as, most of Pasco County.