Moms for Liberty co-founder says Congress' latest bill to protect kids online has serious loophole
A new bipartisan bill intended to shield children under 13 from harmful content on social media does not apply to YouTube Kids, which parental rights advocates warn still feeds transgender ideology and DEI videos to minors.
Parental rights advocates who spoke to Fox News Digital also took issue with the bill, deemed the Kids Off Social Media Act, over its restrictions on the algorithm, suggesting the measure constitutes "government overreach."
The bill, introduced by Sens. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, Ted Cruz, R-Texas, Chris Murphy, D-Conn., and Katie Britt, R-Ala., advanced out of the Senate Commerce Committee on Wednesday. In an online question-and-answer fact sheet, Schatz's office said YouTube Kids does not fit the definition of social media under the bill, nor do video games and other platforms like wireless messaging, educational platforms and teleconferencing.
A Senate Republican Commerce aide explained to Fox News Digital why. The aide said the bill aims to hold Big Tech companies accountable for Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok accounts operated by children often around ages 9, 10 and 11-years-old. YouTube Kids, by contrast, is designed for parents to set up and curate accounts for their children.
The aide said most social media companies already restrict accounts to 13 and above in their terms of service but do not enforce that requirement.
"This is to protect and to enforce these rules so that children are unable to make underage accounts where there is no accountability or knowledge given by parents," the GOP aide said. "The only difference that has been raised with YouTube Kids is that parents are the ones who are actually creating the account. So there is some measure of accountability. The ban that is in the bill is targeting children creating or maintaining those accounts. And any tech companies that would allow for that to take place will be covered by that provision."