Back to today’s briefing

Story perspectives

Kids Online Safety Act Sparks Bipartisan Privacy Debate

5/26/2025

27 5

Left

Kids Online Safety

The Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) seeks to bolster online protections for children, addressing urgent mental health and privacy worries. With backing from bipartisan lawmakers and major tech firms like Apple, it faces pushback from civil liberties advocates concerned about free speech. Concurrently, Texas is pushing age verification laws, igniting further privacy debates among tech companies.

Right

Tim Cook Advocates Privacy

Apple CEO Tim Cook urged Texas Governor Greg Abbott to reconsider a new bill requiring age verification for app users, raising alarms over privacy issues. This bipartisan legislation, designed to bolster online child safety, could position Texas alongside Utah in enforcing similar measures, potentially setting a precedent for other states to follow.

Center

Texas Enforces Social Media Ban

Texas is pushing forward with a tough social media ban for minors, mandating age verification for accounts and empowering parents to delete their children's profiles. Critics warn this could stifle free speech and fail to tackle mental health issues. In contrast, Illinois is advocating for a device-based age verification system to bolster online safety for kids.

1 of 3

Kids Online Safety

The Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) seeks to bolster online protections for children, addressing urgent mental health and privacy worries. With backing from bipartisan lawmakers and major tech firms like Apple, it faces pushback from civil liberties advocates concerned about free speech. Concurrently, Texas is pushing age verification laws, igniting further privacy debates among tech companies.

1 / 3