Meta Platforms is seeking legal protection from a growing wave of child-harm lawsuits as it faces mounting pressure over the impact of social media products such as Instagram on young users.
According to a source familiar with the matter and proposed legislative language reviewed by Reuters, the company has lobbied members of the US Congress to include a liability shield in the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), a bill currently under consideration in the Senate.
If the proposed language were adopted and eventually signed into law, it could affect thousands of lawsuits brought by children and their families against Meta and other online platforms. The effort highlights the legal safeguards Meta is attempting to secure at a time when lawmakers are considering one of the most ambitious attempts to regulate online platforms in the United States in decades.
While there is currently no indication that legislators plan to adopt the language, the proposal has already drawn criticism from legal advocates who argue it would make it far harder to hold technology companies accountable for alleged harms to children.
Why The Legislative Language Will Protect Big Tech
The legislative language, as per reports, would make online companies 'immune from suit or liability under state law with respect to all claims for loss caused by, arising out of, relating to, or resulting from the safety or privacy of individuals under the age of eighteen online or otherwise related to the provisions' of KOSA.
The provision appears alongside language that would override certain state laws concerning children's online safety and privacy. According to the source, Meta has proposed the language as part of an effort to drop its opposition to KOSA.
Meta spokesperson Stephanie Otway disputed suggestions that the proposal would amount to blanket protection from legal action.
'The provision does not extinguish existing lawsuits, nor does it represent blanket immunity,' Otway said.
She argued that the language would instead create a consistent national framework for youth online safety.
'Instead, it establishes uniform national standards for online youth safety, ensuring these critical issues are governed by comprehensive federal legislation, not plaintiffs' lawyers or patchwork state legislation,' she said.
However, critics of the proposal have taken a different view. Julia Duncan of the American Association for Justice said the language would have far-reaching consequences for legal cases already underway.
'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, Duncan said.
'There is no other way to read this language.'
The debate comes as negotiations continue around KOSA, which is sponsored by Senators Marsha Blackburn and Richard Blumenthal. The bill would require social media companies to take reasonable steps to prevent harm to minors, including issues linked to compulsive use of online platforms.
Meta's Pushback Amid Legal Woes
Meta's lobbying effort arrives as the company and other technology firms continue to face legal scrutiny over features that critics say may contribute to harmful behaviour among young users.
Under KOSA, companies would be required to exercise care when deploying features such as infinite scrolling, activity notifications, and appearance-altering photo filters. These features have become central to legal arguments brought against major social media platforms.
Earlier this year, a California woman won at trial against Meta and YouTube after her legal team argued that the companies knew such features were addictive and harmful to young people. The companies have said they intend to appeal the decision.
Meta and YouTube face combined damages of approximately £4.4 million ($6 million) after losing the case, marking an important legal setback as more claims continue to move through the courts.
At the same time, KOSA remains under active discussion in Washington. The bill passed the Senate in 2024 by a vote of 91-3, but failed to advance through the House of Representatives. It was reintroduced this year with support from Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
The legislation has also become part of broader negotiations between Blackburn and the White House, with discussions involving child online safety measures and a provision that would override some state laws relating to artificial intelligence.
A spokesperson for Blackburn rejected the specific liability language reviewed by reports.
'We have not seen that proposed language and would never consider it,' the spokesperson said.
That response suggests Meta's proposal faces resistance even among lawmakers involved in advancing the legislation. Nevertheless, the company's effort illustrates the legal protections it is pursuing as lawsuits from young users and their families continue to mount and policymakers weigh new rules for the online platforms used by millions of children every day.
