SAN ANTONIO — While kids are headed back to school, Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX 23) is focused on ensuring their safety as they return to the classroom.
He is backing a bill in Congress that would protect children while they are online while also involving social media companies in the effort. It's called the Kids Online Safety Act, or KOSA.
"It gives parents the tools to provide safeguards and kind of track their children's online activity," Rep. Gonzales said in an interveiw on KENS 5 News at 6 Friday. "The other part of it...it encourages social media platforms to prevent against sexual exploitation and cyberbullying, which we see on the rise. And the third piece, it holds these social media platforms accountable for these ads they are sending to our children."
The congressman worked with Maurine Molak, an Alamo Heights woman whose son David Molak died by suicide in 2016 after harmful cyberbullying. His death lead to the creation of “David’s Legacy," a foundation committed to eliminating cyberbullying.
Rep. Gonzales said there has not been any online safety laws regarding children's activity in 25 years. He brought up how the recent rise of AI use has changed the game and introduced new concerns.
"AI, for all the positive things it does, is going to change our lives even more. And for children, they're growing up in all this, this is all they know," Rep. Gonzales said.
The bill has already passed the Senate and Rep. Gonzales says he is confident it will get a vote on the House floor.
"It's long past time parents and children have some online safety guard rails, especially as we tackle this new world."
To read the full text of the bill, click here.
And check out the full interview from KENS 5 News at 6 below: