(Bloomberg) -- House Speaker Mike Johnson signaled on Tuesday that the current Congress is unlikely to act on legislation to protect children from online exploitation and bullying despite a deal supporters negotiated with Elon Musk’s X social media platform.
Johnson suggested at a news conference more changes may be needed in the legislation, saying some lawmakers remain concerned about “free speech components” of the measure and fear it could lead to censorship, including of conservative voices.
“We are very optimistic that if it’s not done this year, that we can do that early next year with our Republican majorities,” Johnson said. The newly elected Congress will take office on Jan. 3.
The struggle over the legislation has exposed a rift among House Republicans over regulating social media, with some backers of the online safety law critical of party leaders for bowing to criticism from Big Tech companies. The Washington Post reported Tuesday that frustration with the inaction prompted a bipartisan group of senators to enlist Musk in their efforts to pressure Johnson and the House GOP to move on a bill.
Johnson said he and other party leaders support “the principle” that children should be protected online.
The legislation, the Kids Online Safety Act, passed the Senate on a 91-3 vote in July and President Joe Biden has vowed to sign it into law. But House GOP leaders have raised concerns that the law is too heavy handed and could make it harder for children to access some online conservative content.
The emotionally charged debate over the legislation has pitted the lobbying and political power of tech giants — Amazon.com Inc, Alphabet Inc.’s Google, and Meta Platforms Inc. — against against a coalition of parents whose children died or were seriously hurt in incidents related to online activity. The parents have waged their own passionate lobbying campaign, sharing wrenching personal stories with lawmakers and congressional staff.
The legislation threatens to bring down tech companies’ ad revenue by weakening design features that hook young users and keep them active on online platforms, said Matthew Schettenhelm, a Bloomberg Intelligence analyst who follows the sector.
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