Meta lobbies lawmakers for immunity from child harm lawsuits: report

Key Points:

• Meta has lobbied U.S. lawmakers for legal immunity from lawsuits alleging child harm caused by its platforms like Facebook and Instagram, amid a surge of youth-safety litigation including consolidated claims in California courts.
• The proposed immunity language, part of the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) under Senate consideration, would shield online companies from state law claims related to the safety or privacy of minors, potentially undermining pending and future lawsuits.
• Meta claims the provision would establish uniform federal standards for youth safety rather than provide blanket immunity, while critics argue it would eliminate accountability for social media companies in cases involving harm to children.
• KOSA, sponsored by Senators Blackburn and Blumenthal, seeks to require social media companies to mitigate harms to minors from features like infinite scrolling and filters; the bill passed the Senate in 2024 but failed in the House and is currently under negotiation with the White House.
• Meta’s lobbying effort includes proposing the immunity language in exchange for dropping opposition to KOSA, though lawmakers have not indicated willingness to adopt the language, and some senators have rejected it outright.