Now that the 119th Congress has convened, there’s little question that the Big Tech lobbying machine will be back in full force to thwart renewed efforts to pass critical legislation designed to protect minors from harmful content and activity on social media. The widely supported, bipartisan Kids Online Safety Act nearly made it to the finish line again in December 2024. However, Big Tech quashed its passage with an aggressively funded disinformation campaign to protect its financial interests.

Despite overwhelming bipartisan Senate support and the advocacy of hundreds of nongovernmental organizations, survivor groups, and even tech billionaire and X owner Elon Musk urging its passage, House leadership failed to include the KOSA in its year-end spending legislation. How did this happen?