Despite broad support by the US public and lawmakers for child internet laws, Congress has done nothing, even after holding 39 hearings on the topic since 2017
Americans are broadly united in support of laws to make the internet safer for kids. So why doesn't Congress act? Mastodon: @carnage4life@mas.to . X: @justinhendrix , @superwuster , @evan_greer , @viacristiano , @fairplayforkids , @superwuster , @zamaan_qureshi , @mike_salter , @aaschapiro , @digitaldemoc , @superwuster , @evan_greer , and @superwuster . LinkedIn: Sean Hogan Mastodon: Dare Obasanjo / @carnage4life@mas.to : Tim Wu is one of the weakest thinkers and yet most respected pundits when it comes to criticism of big tech. — He wrote an entire book called The Attention Merchants which actually showed that the problem of social media is that it's broadcast media without gatekeepers but then concluded ads & algorithms are the problem and paying for social media would fix things. … X: Justin Hendrix / @justinhendrix : “As someone who witnessed this failure firsthand, I am pained to admit that our government is failing parents, teenagers, and children.” -@superwuster https://www.theatlantic.com/ ... Tim Wu / @superwuster : Writing this article about Congress's failures to protect children's privacy online made me both sadder and angrier than anything else I've ever worked on — https://www.theatlantic.com/ ... @evan_greer : @superwuster You named my name, but never responded to any of my emails about our substantive concerns with KOSA. You know our history on net neutrality, anti-trust, privacy, facial recognition. You know we're not pro Big Tech. But you chose to ignore us and now attack us. Cool move bro. Cristiano Lima / @viacristiano : Tim Wu delivers a cutting retelling of the children's safety/data privacy logjam in Congress, driven by “nasty” infighting, via @TheAtlantic https://www.theatlantic.com/ ... Fairplay / @fairplayforkids : “Critics charge that attorneys general in red states could attempt to use KOSA to target platforms as part of a broader agenda against trans rights. That risk is exaggerated. The bill's list of harms is specific and discrete.” Tim Wu / @superwuster : I debated about “naming names” in this account of Congress's failure to even hold a vote on laws to protect children online, but felt the ability of members of Congress to hide their tracks when it comes to non-votes is a major part of the problem https://www.theatlantic.com/ ... Zamaan Qureshi / @zamaan_qureshi : Thought a lot about @superwuster's piece dissecting the failure by Congress to pass anything to protect kids/teens online. Tbh this piece made me emotional. The bottom line I see: kids are going to continue to see eating disorder content because of 4 members of Congress and egos [image] Michael Salter / @mike_salter : “For a decade and counting, not a single bill seeking to protect children has reached a full vote in the House or Senate.” Avi Asher-Schapiro / @aaschapiro : One of Biden's top technology advisors @superwuster , calls the failure of US lawmakers to enact *any* protection for children online a “a disgrace to the Republic.” https://www.theatlantic.com/ ... [image] @digitaldemoc : Bring #KOSA and #COPPA 2.0 to a floor vote! https://www.theatlantic.com/ ... @superwuster via @TheAtlantic Tim Wu / @superwuster : I am getting complaints from Congressional staff about my piece blaming members for doing nothing to protect children online. My statement on the matter is this: “If you don't want bad press, hold votes on popular legislation.” https://www.theatlantic.com/ ... @evan_greer : @superwuster You also ignore the fact that there are still dozens of LGBTQ orgs that oppose KOSA, including many that represent trans folks in red and purple states, while parroting Blumenthal's exaggeration about a small handful of national orgs moving to neutral (they still have concerns) Tim Wu / @superwuster : @evan_greer We disagree on KOSA and agree on other issues. It isn't much more complicated than that. I don't blame advocates in the piece for doing what advocates do; I blame members of Congress for failing to hold a vote on COPPA or KOSA. LinkedIn: Sean Hogan : get phones out of classrooms now
Context & Ripple Effects
The gap between repeated hearings and a floor vote followed a Senate committee advance for KOSA and COPPA 2.0, which had already surfaced concerns that child-safety rules could require additional data collection.
The story matters because apparent agreement on protecting minors had not produced agreement on the mechanisms: platform duties, privacy, and access controls remained contested.
First-order effects
- Children’s advocates and lawmakers seeking federal standards remain without a enacted congressional framework, while platforms continue operating under existing rules and voluntary policies.
- The legislative record shifts from policy design to procedural inaction: 39 hearings have not resolved the issues needed to bring child-internet bills to a vote.
Second-order effects
- Companies can continue to support child-safety goals selectively while resisting particular obligations, a divide later visible in differing public positions on KOSA.
- Criticism that child-safety measures could widen data collection or restrict lawful information gives opponents leverage to delay or narrow bills, rather than treating broad public support as decisive.
Third-order effects
- If this pattern persists, US child online-safety policy will be shaped less by a single federal standard than by prolonged fights over who controls minors’ access, speech, and data.
- The episode suggests that bipartisan concern about harms does not itself overcome implementation conflicts; durable legislation will depend on reconciling privacy and expression safeguards with platform accountability.
The trend: Child online-safety policy is becoming a test of whether Congress can turn broad concern into enforceable platform rules without expanding surveillance or content control.