Conservative Taxpayers Group Criticizes KOSA's Overreach

Conservative Taxpayers Group Criticizes KOSA's Overreach

WASHINGTON — Conservative newspaper The Washington Times on Tuesday published an opinion piece by the executive director of the Taxpayers Protection Alliance, criticizing the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) on constitutional grounds.

KOSA, wrote TPA’s Patrick Hedger, “has been circulating for years, and the sponsors of the legislation have attempted that entire time to outmaneuver criticism of their bill. Unfortunately, as so often happens, that maneuvering has been political and not substantive. As such, concerns related to censorship, politicized enforcement, and the First Amendment remain. The element that doesn’t get enough attention is the near certainty that if passed this child safety bill will undermine child safety.”

According to Hedger, politicians’ inability to reconcile philosophical principles with policy specifics made KOSA a bill that “greatly undermines children’s online privacy while placing an out-of-control Federal Trade Commission, with zero relevant child development expertise, in charge of speech on the internet.”

As XBIZ reported, Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee) and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut) have been marketing KOSA as a bipartisan effort, selling it to their colleagues as a “protect the children” measure.

In February, Blackburn and Blumenthal released a new version of the bill, which they claimed addressed privacy and censorship issues flagged by opponents. However, Hedger is not the only critic insisting that the revised version still presents insurmountable problems.

Industry attorney and free-speech specialist Lawrence Walters, of Walters Law Group, explained in February that KOSA “would give the government new powers to interfere with the First Amendment rights of online platforms generally, threatens anonymous speech and incentivizes adoption of age verification for all users.”

The bill would also “burden access to adult materials by adults and is constitutionally suspect,” he told XBIZ, and urged anyone who cares about online freedom to voice opposition to the bill.

“Congress has put substantial pressure on social media sites to accept government regulation, so it is no surprise that some large platforms are bowing to that pressure — just as they did when it came to FOSTA/SESTA,” Walters noted.

Hedger’s Washington Times article makes the same argument on conservative grounds. 

“If protecting children online is such a major priority for lawmakers, they should act like it,” he writes. “If there is a genuine crisis of mental and emotional well-being in this country, then we should be marshaling the resources necessary to tackle that problem. Instead, we have politicians advancing ideas that they already know won’t work. They’ve already seen the courts step in to block similar bills.”

According to Hedger, lawmakers should have learned by now from that experience, convened relevant stakeholders and “shifted their legislation away from constitutional and privacy issues and towards solutions that would deal directly with mental health and child exploitation.”

Main Image: KOSA sponsors Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee) and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut)

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

Alexa Creed Launches New Paysite

Creator Alexa Creed has launched a new membership site through MyMember.site.

Choice Talent Management Launches Fan Platform 'ChoiceFilmz'

Choice Talent Management CEO Chris Crisco has launched a new fan platform called ChoiceFilmz.

Dredd to Launch Official Site

Dredd has announced his new website OfficialDreddXXX.com, launching April 20.

New Pleasure Product Review Site 'ToyChats' Launches

ToyChats.com, a pleasure product review and discussion site, has officially launched.

AEBN Reveals Jade Venus as Top Trans Star for Q1 of 2025

AEBN has named its top trans stars for the first quarter of 2025, with Jade Venus landing atop the leaderboard.

SexLikeReal Debuts 'AI Passthrough' Feature

SexLikeReal has introduced an AI Passthrough for video editing during VR livestreaming.

Ron Jeremy's Accusers Reach Settlement With Rainbow Bar & Grill

The Rainbow Bar & Grill has reached confidential settlements with a group of women who filed a negligence lawsuit against the Sunset Strip restaurant over alleged sexual assaults committed by Ron Jeremy, according to Rolling Stone.

Cherry Kiss, Jordan Starr Top AEBN for Q1 of 2025

AEBN has announced its top-selling stars for the first quarter of 2025, with Cherry Kiss landing atop the leaderboard for straight theaters and Jordan Starr heading up the gay rankings.

Sportsheets Joins FSC as Gold Member

Sportsheets has joined Free Speech Coalition (FSC) as a Gold-level member.

Age Verification Watch: Two End Runs, Two Failed Bills

Industry stakeholders and free speech advocates have anxiously been awaiting the Supreme Court’s decision in Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton, which could significantly impact state age verification laws around the country. In the meantime, state legislatures continue to weigh and pass AV bills, AV tech providers continue to tout their services, and legal challenges continue to play out in the courts — with some cases on hold pending the SCOTUS ruling in Paxton.

Show More