Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:META) has decided to back the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), a bill that the White House is promoting to supersede state regulations on artificial intelligence.
The Mark Zuckerberg-led company had earlier played a role in defeating KOSA two years ago, invoking concerns about freedom of speech. However, the firm has now reversed its stance due to the bill’s provisions that override state AI laws and necessitate age verification for app store platforms such as Alphabet Inc.‘s Google (NASDAQ:GOOGL) and Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), thus shifting some responsibility for child safety away from social media platforms, reported POLITICO on Tuesday.
This development is viewed as a middle ground between tech industry groups, who find the state laws too fragmented to handle, and legislators aiming to safeguard children on the internet. KOSA mandates tech firms to establish online safety measures for children, like restricting harmful design features and enabling users to opt out of suggested content.
Meta opposed KOSA but has been a vocal supporter of the App Store Accountability Act, arguing that app stores should be responsible for verifying users’ ages. However, Apple and Google have raised privacy concerns over the age-verification mandate.
Despite being stuck in the Senate for over a year, KOSA and the App Store Accountability Act have seen a resurgence in the past week, following the White House’s efforts to supersede state AI laws.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), a co-sponsor of KOSA, said he was unfamiliar with the details of the proposed package and expressed skepticism about potential changes.
Blumenthal expressed concern to the publication and stated that the bill may be “significantly weakened.”
Meta Platforms did not immediately respond to Benzinga‘s request for comments.
Global Push For Child Online Safety
This move comes in the wake of increasing global efforts to regulate online safety for children. On Monday, the UK proposed restrictions on social media access for users under 16. The ban would apply to platforms including Snap Inc.’s (NYSE:SNAP) Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, owned by Alphabet, Meta Platforms’ Instagram and Facebook , and Musk’s X. The U.K. government has not yet released a final list of services that will be covered.
Elon Musk slammed the move by the UK government and called the censorship law “a wolf in sheep’s clothing.”
Canada also introduced new legislation to protect children online by limiting social media access for users under 16 and increasing accountability for technology companies.
Meanwhile, Meta has been under constant scrutiny over its safety practices around children and teen social media users. In February, Meta stated that it halted the launch of a chatbot product after internal testing revealed high failure rates in blocking harmful content involving minors.
Court testimony in a lawsuit brought by New Mexico’s attorney general cited red-teaming results showing the AI frequently failed to prevent child exploitation, crime-related, hate, and self-harm content. Meta disputed the allegations, saying the product was never launched precisely because the testing uncovered these concerns.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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