### “So Now Protecting Kids Means Taking Away Our Privacy?”
A bunch of groups, including Mike Pence’s Advancing American Freedom, are telling Senate bigwigs to ditch the idea of slapping kids’ online safety rules onto a national AI framework. Apparently, they’re worried that these safety measures could stomp all over free speech rights and jack up risks to our privacy. Because, you know, when have lawmakers ever prioritized safety over our rights?
This little drama unfolds just as Congress is having a powwow over some fancy AI legislation. Word is that Sen. Marsha Blackburn is cozying up to the White House to rally support for a kids’ safety plan that might just wipe out some state laws on AI. You know, because why let states have a say when you can centralize everything in D.C.?
Blackburn’s plan is rumored to include the Senate’s version of the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), which has a “duty of care” clause. That means companies are supposed to redesign their products to keep kids safe. Sounds nice, doesn’t it? Except it’s also a perfect excuse for more government overreach.
A bunch of think tanks, including the libertarian R Street Institute and the Taxpayers Protection Alliance, are part of this coalition that’s raising a red flag. They’re particularly miffed about the age verification rules that could force users to hand over personal info to digital databases—because nothing says “secure” like a database full of our private details.
They’re also not thrilled about the parental consent bits, which would apparently require even more invasive data collection to prove that a parent is, well, a parent. Who knew keeping kids safe meant invading everyone’s privacy in the process?
And don’t forget about the speech rights angle. The coalition is claiming that the “duty of care” could pressure online platforms to censor content. It looks like Meta is playing both sides, having previously opposed KOSA for the very same reasons but now backing Blackburn because her plan might help them dodge state laws on AI.
So, in the end, it seems like protecting kids might just be a convenient excuse for more control and less privacy. Isn’t that rich? Who knew safety could be so intrusive?
By Admin | Published: June 18, 2026 at 1:17 am
