Will the Kids Online Safety Act become law?

House GOP leaders express significant free speech concerns about KOSA. House GOP leadership, notably Speaker Mike Johnson, has voiced considerable free speech and censorship concerns regarding the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), specifically focusing on its "duty of care" concept ^[1][2][3]. Speaker Johnson characterized the Senate-passed version of KOSA as "very problematic," indicating that the "duty of care" provision could create incentives and pressure for the censorship of lawful speech ^[1][2][4]. A primary concern for House GOP leadership is the imposition of a burdensome legal "duty of care" on platforms, fearing it might prompt companies to "squelch conservative speech" ^[3].

Critics argue KOSA’s core mechanism incentivizes platform censorship. The core mechanism of KOSA, which mandates that platforms take steps to mitigate broadly defined "harms," is seen by critics as creating a censorship incentive ^[5]. They suggest platforms might resort to monitoring, filtering, or restricting speech to minimize liability risks, irrespective of assurances regarding viewpoint protection ^[5]. Furthermore, privacy and civil liberties advocates have highlighted the danger that expansive definitions of "harm," coupled with governmental enforcement, could lead to the restriction of speech concerning LGBTQ+ issues and other sensitive subjects ^[6][7].

These free expression concerns have delayed KOSA's progress. Such worries surrounding free expression have directly resulted in practical delays for the bill's advancement ^[1][4]. Reports indicate that House Republican leadership has either slow-rolled KOSA or allowed it to lose momentum ^[1][4]. Speaker Johnson has been observed being "extra cautious about crafting the right language" to safeguard free speech, which has significantly affected the bill's timeline ^[1][4].

The Senate's Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) emphasizes general policies and safeguards for minors. KOSA (S.1748, 119th Congress) primarily requires covered platforms to establish "reasonable policies, practices, and procedures" to address various harms to minors ^[1][2][3]. Its core provisions focus on implementing broad safeguards and controls, such as strong privacy defaults, mechanisms related to algorithmic recommendations, and parental tools that include the option to opt out of personalized algorithmic recommendations ^[1][2][3]. The bill's descriptions center on duty-of-care harms along with these general safeguards and parental controls ^[1][2][3].

The House's KIDS Act mandates specific technology verification and youth profiling limits. In contrast to KOSA's broader approach, the Kids Internet and Digital Safety (KIDS) Act (H.R.7757, 119th Congress) incorporates more explicit requirements ^{[4][5][6][7][2][1][3]}. Title I, "Technology verification measures," specifically mandates that covered platforms adopt commercially available technology to identify minors and prevent their access to sexual material harmful to minors, explicitly stating that a user’s self-declaration is insufficient ^{[4][5][6][7][2][1][3]}. Additionally, the KIDS Act includes a "Stop Profiling Youth and Kids" subtitle, which prohibits providers from conducting market or product-focused research on known minors and restricts teen research unless verifiable parental consent is obtained ^{[4][5][6][7][2][1][3]}. These explicit age-verification and stop-profiling subtitles distinctly differentiate the KIDS Act from KOSA's more general duty-of-care and safeguard approach ^{[4][5][6][7][2][1][3]}.

Google has not endorsed KOSA, proposing an alternative child-safety framework. The company has explicitly not endorsed the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), instead advocating for an alternative child-safety legislative framework. This proposed framework emphasizes privacy-preserving age signals and assigns responsibility to app stores and developers, which Google presented in contrast to "fast-moving legislative proposals" such as KOSA ^[1].

An industry group opposes KOSA, while Meta's stance is not specified. NetChoice, an industry advocacy group, has publicly urged Congress to reject KOSA. The group argues that KOSA would introduce censorship and surveillance risks and necessitate invasive identity verification to comply with its mandates ^[2]. While Google and NetChoice have stated their positions, available information does not explicitly detail Meta's direct stance on KOSA during the 119th Congress.

KOSA bills are currently introduced in both House and Senate. The House version of KOSA is H.R. 6484, and the Senate version is S. 1748. Both bills are currently in the introduced stage within the 119th Congress ^[3][4].

As of May 2026, S.1748 (KOSA) enjoys significant bipartisan support within the Senate Commerce Committee. A substantial majority of its members, 19 out of 28, serve as cosponsors for the bill ^[1][2]. Key figures such as Senators Blackburn, Blumenthal, and Klobuchar are actively working towards the bill's passage in the current 119th Congress ^[3][4][5]. This broad backing is consistent with KOSA's strong historical performance, having previously passed the Senate with an overwhelming vote of 91-3 in the last congressional session ^[3].

Despite the strong internal support for the Senate's version, concerns exist regarding potential House modifications. Some committee members and other stakeholders are apprehensive about how changes initiated by the House of Representatives might dilute the bill's overall effectiveness or encroach upon state-level authority ^[6][7].

KOSA finds legislative homes in both chambers of Congress. The Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) has been introduced in the 119th Congress as S. 1748 in the Senate ^[1]. In the House, it has been incorporated into a broader omnibus package, H.R. 7757, known as the Kids Internet and Digital Safety (KIDS) Act ^[2][3][4]. No other specific legislative vehicles or must-pass bills for KOSA's expedited passage in the 119th Congress have been identified.

Legislative progress for KOSA remains stalled due to key differences. As of May 2026, the Kids Online Safety Act faces significant hurdles to passage, primarily stemming from substantial discrepancies between the Senate and House versions ^[4][5]. These key differences include the Senate's proposed 'duty of care' standard versus the House's 'reasonable policies' approach, as well as the House version's broader preemption language, which has drawn criticism ^[2][4][5]. Despite bipartisan support for the overarching goal of online child safety, these chamber-specific disagreements make KOSA's passage before the end of 2026 uncertain ^[4][5]. While a recent endorsement by Senate Commerce Committee Chair Ted Cruz could potentially boost the Senate version, reconciling it with the House's H.R. 7757 continues to be a substantial challenge ^[6].

As of May 19, 2026, the Kids Online Safety Act (S. 1748) remains in the legislative process, having been introduced in the Senate on May 14, 2025, and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation ^[1][2]. A House version of the legislation, the Kids Internet and Digital Safety Act (H.R. 7757), which incorporates elements of KOSA, advanced from the House Energy and Commerce Committee in early 2026 but faces significant hurdles, including disagreements over the 'duty of care' standard and potential conference committee conflicts with the Senate ^[3]. Prediction markets are actively tracking the likelihood of KOSA or similar legislation becoming law before 2027, with current market sentiment reflecting uncertainty due to the legislative stalemate in the House ^[4].

Recent political catalysts include endorsements from Senate Commerce Committee Chair Ted Cruz and OpenAI, which have provided renewed momentum for the legislation in the Senate ^[5][6]. Bullish factors include strong bipartisan support and public pressure from advocacy groups ^[7][8]. Bearish factors include intense lobbying from tech companies, concerns over censorship and free speech, and disagreements regarding age verification and the scope of liability ^[7][8][9].