The news: 18 bills aimed at strengthening online protections for minors advanced in the US House on Thursday, including a modified version of the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA).

• The latest version of KOSA would require online platforms to implement “reasonable” safeguards to protect minors from potential harm. It would also prohibit platforms from enabling ads for drugs, gambling, alcohol, or tobacco that target minors.
• Platforms would further be required to implement tools limiting users’ ability to communicate with known minors and give parents tools to modify minors’ privacy settings.
• KOSA would override state laws if it goes into effect.

Zooming out: Earlier versions of KOSA have already advanced in the House, including one the Senate approved in 2024—a version that, as Mediapost notes, would have placed stricter requirements on online platforms than the current proposal.

Still, KOSA is facing left-leaning opposition, as some claim the bill would give government officials leeway to restrict minors from seeing LGBTQ+ content on the grounds that this material is harmful. Conservative opponents, meanwhile, have raised concerns that KOSA would mean platforms could censor controversial speech, including right-wing content.

The broader impact: KOSA and similar youth safety regulations would have significant implications for advertisers.

• Restricting underage users from specific content on social platforms—including what ads they see—would shrink reach and limit advertisers’ ability to build early brand affinity with young consumers.
• Advertisers will have to adjust strategies to continue reaching young audiences or find these consumers in new environments. And with more restrictions on what content young consumers can access, competition among advertisers would intensify.

What it means for advertisers: Adapting strategies and preparing contingency plans for any youth online safety laws is essential for advertisers, especially as other regions like Australia go full steam ahead with regulation targeting minors’ online habits.

• Proactively prioritizing brand safety measures—such as tightening audience targeting controls and developing youth-safety compliance frameworks—will help insulate advertisers from the effects of bills like KOSA.
• Flexibility in media planning is now a must-have. Advertisers should prepare to shift budgets quickly, diversify channel mixes, and lean on environments with clearer age-verification standards.