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Meta Lobbies Immunity Clause to Block Child Lawsuits

6/19/2026

Summary

Meta Pushes Immunity

Meta Platforms is lobbying Congress to add an immunity provision to the Online Safety Act (KOSA).
The language would shield online firms from state lawsuits over users under 18 and preempt child-online-safety laws.
A source says Meta offered to drop its opposition to KOSA for the immunity clause.
Advocates warn the clause would dismiss thousands of lawsuits and note a Los Angeles jury awarded $6 million against Meta and YouTube for negligence.

Summary

Meta Fined

A New Mexico federal jury ordered Meta to pay $375 million in civil penalties for failing to shield minors from sexual predators.
Attorney General Raúl Torrez said Meta “shows the world how little it cares about child safety.”
Meta spokesperson Stephanie Otway told Reuters the immunity amendment would not erase existing lawsuits.
Otway added the amendment would create uniform national youth-safety standards and shift oversight from state courts to federal legislation.

History

Historical Context

In 2012 the FTC fined Google $22.5 million for violating a consent order on Safari tracking. A decade later, in September 2019 the agency imposed a $170 million penalty for YouTube’s COPPA breaches, establishing a precedent for child-online privacy enforcement. That precedent now underpins Meta’s request for immunity in the Online Safety Act and prompts state officials like New Mexico AG Raúl Torrez to seek broader accountability.

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Meta Pushes Immunity

Meta Platforms is lobbying Congress to add an immunity provision to the Online Safety Act (KOSA).
The language would shield online firms from state lawsuits over users under 18 and preempt child-online-safety laws.
A source says Meta offered to drop its opposition to KOSA for the immunity clause.
Advocates warn the clause would dismiss thousands of lawsuits and note a Los Angeles jury awarded $6 million against Meta and YouTube for negligence.

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