VIEWS EXPRESSED BY CONTRIBUTORS IN COLUMNS/OPINION EDITORIALS ETC.. ARE THOSE OF THE AUTHOR(S) AND DO NOT REPRESENT THE VIEWS OR OPINIONS OF CLAYCONEWS
Op-Ed by Aaron Wells – Chairman, Breckinridge County Republican Party
With Republicans holding the House, Senate, and White House, our party has a real opportunity to make meaningful progress—securing the border, cutting wasteful government spending, and ensuring economic growth.
President Trump has his eyes on the ball, taking immediate action on each of these priorities. Voters sent their representatives in Congress to Washington to do the same, and to support the President. Yet, instead of keeping the focus on these critical issues, some in Congress are considering reviving the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), a bill that was already rejected last year for good reason.
Kentuckians aren't asking for more government control over the internet and their ability to parent as they see fit. They're asking for the restoration and protection of personal freedoms, relief from inflation, stronger border security, and less Washington interference in their daily lives. But instead of tackling those challenges, Congress is considering a bill that would hand federal bureaucrats more power over what Americans—kids and adults alike—can see and say online.
No one disagrees that children should be protected online. Parents across the country want to ensure their kids are safe from harmful content. But KOSA's major flaw is that rather than addressing this issue effectively, it creates broad government mandates that would have unintended consequences. Republican lawmakers wisely declined to move forward with it last year, and they should do the same again.
One of the biggest concerns with KOSA is how it would impact free speech. The bill would impose a vague "duty of care" requirement on online platforms, forcing them to remove content that could be deemed harmful to minors. But who decides what qualifies as harmful? In the case of KOSA, that would be the federal government. What if the federal government decides that conservative values and viewpoints are harmful? This type of broad language could easily lead to over-censorship, restricting legitimate discussions and vital information for families in Kentucky.
Beyond concerns over free expression, KOSA also raises serious questions about parental rights, an issue that Kentuckians have defined very well through their state and local governments. State governments, much more than Washington bureaucrats, are responsive to the concerns and needs of Kentucky parents in our individual communities, both rural and urban. Parents need tools and resources, not an ever-expanding federal government determining what content is appropriate or "government approved." If passed, KOSA would take those tools and resources from the hands of parents and place them into the hands of unelected regulators.
The bill also threatens America's technological edge. Our country leads the world in innovation, and our tech industry is a major driver of economic growth. But if KOSA were enacted, it would place unnecessary and burdensome regulations on U.S. companies—regulations that our global competitors, including China, do not have to follow. Instead of bolstering our position, this bill could weaken American businesses and make it harder for them to compete on the international stage at a moment in history where American strength is critical.
At a time when there are so many pressing issues facing our country, Congress should be focusing on solutions that strengthen our economy, secure our borders, and uphold constitutional freedoms. Reviving a misguided bill that was already left behind in 2024 is not the way to do that. Instead, lawmakers should prioritize policies that limit government overreach, support American businesses, and give families more control over the decisions that impact them with legislation at the state level.
Kentuckians didn't send conservatives to Washington to expand government control over speech, weaken parental rights, or hamstring American businesses. They sent them to fight for policies that protect our freedoms, our families, and our values. Congress got it right when they rejected KOSA in 2024, and they should do the same now.
# # #
