By Rob Andress
Let’s talk about something that should concern all of us: the safety and privacy of our kids online. The Kids Online Safety and Privacy Act (KOSPA) is a bipartisan bill designed to protect our children from the dangers lurking on social media. It aims to hold these massive tech companies accountable for reducing criminal activity and threats like sextortion—a crime that’s increased by a staggering 18,000% worldwide. And unless action is taken, it’s only going to get worse.
So, what exactly is KOSPA?
This proposed legislation, first introduced in Congress in 2022, focuses on protecting minors by requiring social media platforms to take greater responsibility. The bill would mandate platforms to remove harmful materials, disable addictive design features for minors, and implement a “duty of care” system to keep our kids safer.
The push for this bill came after the 2021 Facebook leak, which revealed that Meta (formerly Facebook) knew its platforms were causing harm—yet chose profit over protecting young users. Congress responded with an investigation into Big Tech’s failure to safeguard minors, leading to the introduction of KOSPA in the Senate in 2022.
Fast forward to 2024: the Senate passed KOSPA with overwhelming support—91 votes to 3. It had bipartisan backing, 67 cosponsors, and endorsements from 32 state attorneys general urging the Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, to bring it to a vote.
But here’s where it gets frustrating: Speaker Johnson never brought the bill to the House floor. Why? Well, it’s worth noting that Meta announced plans for a $10 billion data center in Louisiana—Johnson’s home state. Coincidence? Maybe. But as the saying goes, if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck…
This isn’t just speculation. We’ve seen Big Tech CEOs, including Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, Tim Cook, Sam Altman, Jeff Bezos, Sundar Pichai and Jensen Huang cozying up to to the President Elect, with lavish donations and private dinners. According to a report in US News, one of the major reasons why tech CEOs are flocking to Trump as Congress is expected to consider social media safeguards for children and regulations of artificial intelligence, among its tech-related oversight. And companies like Meta, Apple, Amazon, Alphabet are facing antitrust lawsuits alleging monopolist practices. And it raises the question: what is a child’s safety worth?
Now, let’s turn to you as parents. While lawmakers debate and companies prioritize profits, we need to focus on what we can do right now. Sextortion is one of the most devastating threats facing our kids online. For those unfamiliar, sextortion is an online blackmail scheme that often targets young males. Predators manipulate their victims, leading to devastating consequences.
At Street Safe Self Defence, we’ve partnered with over 70 high schools across Ontario to teach young adults about the reality of online risks, including sextortion. In nearly every school, we meet students who’ve either been victimized or targeted by this crime.
Parents, you are your child’s first line of defense. Please, talk with your kids about the dangers online. Ask them about their social media use, educate them on how predators operate, and emphasize the importance of coming to you if something feels wrong.
This is not just about legislation or Big Tech. It’s about protecting our children in a world where technology continues to evolve faster than safety measures can keep up.
For more information on sextortion and how you can help, click this link. Let’s work together to ensure our kids are safe—not just online, but everywhere.
Rob Andress is violence prevention specialist with Street Safe Self Defence Training Company. Focusing his work on reality self defence and violence prevention, Rob has become an Industry Leader in Canada. Working closely with Real Estate Associations and Boards across Canada on educating REALTORS on the impact violence has within their Industry. Rob also provides training for Corporations and Private Business on keeping their employees safe during the working hours, as well as with Peace Officers and Law Enforcement organizations on understanding Conflict Management to increase their personal and professional safety. Recently entering into a Partnership Agreement with Saturviit Inuit Woman’s Organization, Street Safe Self Defence will be rolling out Canada’s First of its kind Project specifically developed for Indigenous Communities to curb the cyclical violence women in these communities face on a daily basis.
Reference: Paul Raffile