There’s a major internet speech regulation currently making its way through Congress, and it has a really good chance of becoming law. It’s called KOSPA: the Kids Online Safety and Privacy Act, which passed in the Senate with overwhelming bipartisan support late last month. At a high level, KOSPA could radically change how tech platforms handle speech in an effort to try and make the internet safer for minors. 

It’s a controversial bill, with a lot going on. To break it all down, I invited on Verge senior policy reporter Lauren Feiner, who’s been covering these bills for months now, to explain what’s happening, what these bills actually do, and what the path forward for this legislation looks like.

Links: 

• Senate passes the Kids Online Safety Act | The Verge
• The teens lobbying against the Kids Online Safety Act | The Verge
• How the Kids Online Safety Act was dragged into a political war | NYT
• House Republicans won’t bring up KOSA in its current form | Punchbowl News
• Why a landmark kids online safety bill is still deeply divisive | NBC News
• Why Sen. Schatz thinks child safety bills can trump the First Amendment | Decoder
• Child safety bills are reshaping the internet for everyone | The Verge
• Online age verification is coming, and privacy is on the chopping block | The Verge

Credits: 

Decoder is a production of The Verge, and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network.

Our producers are Kate Cox and Nick Statt. Our editor is Callie Wright. Our supervising producer is Liam James.

The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices