Meta Seeks Legal Immunity From Child Safety Lawsuits

Meta Platforms is lobbying the U.S. Congress for legal immunity from thousands of lawsuits alleging online harm to children, proposing language that would shield tech companies from liability under the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA). The proposal, reported by Fox Business, has drawn sharp criticism from child safety advocates and key lawmakers.

The Immunity Proposal

The proposed provision would make online companies “immune from suit or liability under state law” for claims related to the safety or privacy of individuals under 18, according to language reviewed by Reuters. Meta has offered to drop its longstanding opposition to KOSA in exchange for this protection, according to a source familiar with the matter.

Meta spokesperson Stephanie Otway defended the proposal, stating it “does not extinguish existing lawsuits, nor does it represent blanket immunity.” She argued that it would instead “establish uniform national standards for online youth safety, ensuring these critical issues are governed by comprehensive federal legislation, not plaintiffs’ lawyers or patchwork state legislation.”

However, critics have strongly disagreed. Julia Duncan of the American Association for Justice told IBTimes that “the language is pretty clear-cut immunity against every parent, every school district, that is seeking to hold any AI or social media company accountable for harm to children. There is no other way to read this language.”

Mounting Legal Pressure

Meta faces thousands of youth-safety lawsuits consolidated in California state courts, alongside separate actions brought by states and school districts. In a bellwether case earlier this year, a Los Angeles jury found Meta and Google’s YouTube negligent, awarding a combined $6 million in damages. Both companies have said they plan to appeal.

The legal pressure appears to be a key driver of Meta’s strategic shift. As CryptoBriefing reported, Meta reversed years of opposition to KOSA in June 2026, a move that coincided with White House efforts to include provisions overriding state AI laws.

What Is KOSA?

The Kids Online Safety Act, first introduced in 2022 following the Facebook Files whistleblower revelations, would create a “duty of care” requiring platforms to prevent harm to minors. According to Wikipedia, the bill would require platforms to disable addictive features such as autoplay and infinite scroll for minors, mandate highest privacy settings by default, and enable state attorneys general and the FTC to enforce provisions.

KOSA passed the Senate 91-3 in July 2024 but failed to advance in the House. It was reintroduced in May 2025 as S. 1748 by Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) with 75 co-sponsors. A House version, the KIDS Act introduced by Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), advanced out of subcommittee in March 2026.

Political Resistance

Sen. Blackburn’s office has firmly rejected Meta’s immunity proposal. A spokesperson stated: “We have not seen that proposed language and would never consider it.” Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), the bill’s Democratic co-sponsor, has expressed concern that the bill may be “significantly weakened” by changes.

The immunity language faces steep odds in Congress, but Meta’s broader strategy of engaging constructively with KOSA may yield results on other fronts, particularly around preempting state AI laws and shifting age-verification responsibility to app stores.

Broader Context

This story unfolds against a backdrop of increasing global regulation of children’s online safety. The United Kingdom has proposed a social media ban for under-16s, Canada introduced the Safe Social Media Act, and Australia has already implemented social media restrictions for minors.

What to Watch

As negotiations continue, several key questions remain: Will the immunity language resurface in a different form? How will the White House’s push to override state AI laws affect KOSA’s prospects? And will Meta’s support for the bill be enough to break the legislative logjam in the House?

The outcome of these negotiations could fundamentally reshape the legal landscape for social media platforms and their responsibility toward young users.