Meta Seeks Legal Immunity from Child Harm Lawsuits

Meta Platforms has lobbied the US Congress for legal immunity from claims that its social media products, including Instagram, have harmed children.

If adopted as part of the proposed Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), the provision could undermine thousands of lawsuits against Meta and other online platforms. Meta and Google’s YouTube face a combined $6m in damages after losing the first such case to go to trial earlier this year.

The proposed wording, reviewed by Reuters, would make online companies immune from lawsuits or liability under state law for claims related to the online safety or privacy of minors. Meta says the provision would neither extinguish existing lawsuits nor grant blanket immunity. The American Association for Justice argues that it would eliminate any cases still pending when the law took effect and effectively shield companies from claims brought by parents and school districts.

A source said Meta had proposed the wording in exchange for withdrawing its opposition to KOSA. The bill would require social media companies to take reasonable steps to prevent harm to minors and exercise care when deploying features such as infinite scrolling, activity notifications and appearance-altering filters.

KOSA passed the Senate in 2024 but failed in the House of Representatives. It was reintroduced this year with bipartisan support from Senate leaders.

(Reuters, Max)