Meta Lobbies Congress for Legal Immunity in Kids Safety Act

Meta Platforms lobbied the U.S. Congress to include a liability shield within the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) that would grant online companies immunity from state-law liability regarding the safety and privacy of minors. In exchange for this protection, Meta offered to drop its opposition to the bipartisan bill, which aims to force platforms to prevent compulsive use and other harms.

The lobbying effort follows several significant legal defeats for the company. Meta and Google's YouTube were ordered to pay $6 million in damages to a California plaintiff, while a New Mexico jury imposed $375 million in civil penalties against Meta for failing to protect minors from sexual predators. The company currently faces more than 2,000 pending lawsuits related to child harm.

Meta representatives claim the proposed language establishes uniform national standards rather than blanket immunity. However, the American Association for Justice argues the provision would eliminate pending lawsuits and block parents and schools from holding tech companies accountable. Senator Marsha Blackburn, a KOSA sponsor, stated her office has not seen the proposed language and would never consider it.