WASHINGTON (TNND) — As pressure mounts worldwide to rein in social media’s impact on children, major tech companies are lobbying Congress for protections that could shield them from child harm lawsuits.
Some members of Congress have pushed for years to impose new restrictions on big tech social media companies in an effort to keep children safe online. (TNND)
Some members of Congress have pushed for years to impose new restrictions on big tech social media companies in an effort to keep children safe online. One major proposal, the Kids Online Safety Act, has bipartisan support but has so far stalled.
Reuters reports Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has been lobbying lawmakers to include immunity from child harm lawsuits brought by thousands of parents who say social media has harmed their families. Meta reportedly would drop its opposition to the Kids Online Safety Act if the bill included immunity language.
A spokesperson for one of the bill’s sponsors, Tennessee Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn, told Reuters, “We have not seen that proposed language and would never consider it.”
Blackburn criticized Meta co-founder Mark Zuckerberg at a hearing last month.
“For years, Meta has done everything in its power to keep Mr. Zuckerberg from the witness stand. And after his testimony in this case, we know why he has lied to Congress for years,” she said.
The hearing followed multimillion-dollar verdicts in California and New Mexico that found the company liable for designing addictive platforms that affected mental health, endangered children and misled the public about platform safety. There are reportedly more than 2,000 pending lawsuits Meta is facing.
Meta is not the only major tech company lobbying Congress. According to OpenSecrets.org, Meta spent almost $26.3 million on federal lobbying in 2025. Amazon spent nearly $19 million, and Alphabet, Google’s parent company, spent more than $16.5 million.
In Florida, the state has launched multiple lawsuits targeting OpenAI, Snapchat and, most recently, TikTok over child safety concerns. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced the latest suit against TikTok Monday
“It’s kind of like the old Frankenstein novel. If you create a monster and it hurts people, are you not responsible?” he asked during his news conference.
The pressure big tech is facing in the United States comes as governments around the world consider tougher restrictions on children’s access to social media. The United Kingdom announced this week it is looking to ban social media for children under 16 by 2027.
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