Currently, a plethora of queerphobic laws are being considered and passed in the U.S, and many of them, like the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), are targeting youth. KOSA is a dangerous bill currently being backed by both parties. This broad and vague bill aims to reduce the harm caused by Big Tech and “protect children online.”
Designed to curb addictive features and manipulative algorithms, the intentions of KOSA can be seen as positive. However, human rights groups, LGBTQ+ advocates, and many others recognize that there is an elephant in the room being ignored. Despite KOSA’s goal of protecting children online, it is also a powerful new way for the government to interfere and manipulate online speech.
KOSA pressures social platforms to suppress any speech the Federal Trade Commision (FTC) could potentially argue will make kids “depressed” or “anxious.” Under KOSA, platforms can be sued for recommending these types of content to a minor. This means social media companies will begin to suppress posts revolving around gender identity, sexuality, abortion, etc.
Furthermore, platforms must know who is under 18, yet they are not explicitly required to conduct “age verification” in accordance with KOSA, and invasive age verification systems will result. In a nutshell, KOSA will stretch censorship, increase surveillance, and cut LGBTQ+ youth off from needed online support that they might not otherwise receive in person.
Luckily, Congress is being spammed with hundreds of emails from queer youth standing in opposition to KOSA. Testifying, protesting, and rallying, these brave kids are defending their rights to important resources, information, opportunities, and communities. Their efforts have already proven effective, causing several rounds of changes to the bill and reducing the severity the bill poses against online LGBTQ+ content.
Previous efforts to suppress information have always seemed to falter: abstinence-only sex education, book bans, drag bans, and especially one of KOSA’s predecessors, SESTA/FOSTA. This Trump-era bill intended to curtail online sex trafficking. However, the bill did nothing to accomplish this goal. Instead, it backfired on the LGBTQ+ community and sex workers, limiting their harm-reduction resources and causing them to suffer from the crackdown on online speech.
Fight for the Future is a queer and trans-led advocacy group focused on the ways technology impacts human rights. “KOSA is a misguided internet bill that is trying to solve real problems but ultimately throw marginalized people under the bus by expanding censorship and surveillance rather than addressing corporate abuses,” they comment.
It is dire that we address the harm and power of Big Tech while not taking away human rights and controlling our youth. In the age of tech, there is no better tool than accessible online resources and the power to spread awareness. We must listen to our kids, lift them up, and provide them with weapons of knowledge and resources so that they may meet the world with confidence.
