Who's really blocking KOSA, and which trade groups and advocacy orgs are on each side? Map the coalition for and against, with the lobbying money, cited to the record.

Perfect. Now I have comprehensive data on both bills and the lobbying coalitions. Let me synthesize this into a clear coalition map.

KOSA Coalition Map: Tech Platforms vs. Child Safety Advocates

Status: S. 1748 (Senate KOSA) is reported by committee; H.R. 7757 (House KIDS Act) passed the House and is in Senate committee. The House version removed the Senate's "duty of care" provision, creating a major divide.

BLOCKING THE BILL: Tech Platforms & Business Groups

Top Lobbying Spenders (Senate KOSA, S. 1748):

• Chamber of Commerce: $19,750,000 — leading opposition voice
• Meta Platforms: $13,070,000
• Google: $6,430,000
• Apple: $5,220,000
• CTIA (wireless carriers): $3,640,000
• Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA): $2,766,428

House KIDS Act (H.R. 7757) Top Spenders:

• NCTA (cable/internet): $3,190,000
• Google: $2,860,000
• Apple: $2,740,000
• Property Casualty Insurers: $2,140,000
• American Association for Justice: $1,840,000

Key Opposition Arguments (from lobbying filings and news):

• Privacy risks: EFF and ACLU argue the bill would push platforms to collect MORE data on minors to comply with "duty of care" requirements
• Free speech concerns: Cato Institute, ACLU, and civil liberties groups warn the bill creates incentives to restrict lawful speech
• Age verification burden: Tech platforms cite implementation costs and privacy risks of age-assurance technology
• Liability exposure: Platforms fear expanded liability under the Senate version's duty-of-care standard

PUSHING THE BILL: Child Safety & Advocacy Coalition

Pro-KOSA Lobbying Spenders (Senate S. 1748):

• American Association for Justice: $1,840,000 — supports liability provisions
• American Federation of Teachers: $900,000
• American Academy of Pediatrics: $789,257
• American Psychological Association: $580,000
• eBay: $580,000 (supports privacy/safety provisions)
• Snap Inc.: $400,000
• Paramount Skydance: $1,520,000

Grassroots & Advocacy Groups (from filings):

• Sandy Hook Promise Foundation — $60,000 (via Cornerstone Government Affairs)
• Inseparable Action Inc. — $60,000 (mental health focus)
• American Federation of Teachers — $900,000 (education/safety)
• Alliance for Excellent Education — $6,281
• RESET Tech Action — $60,000 (via Corbin Strategies)
• Issue One — $10,000 (supports S. 1748)

Key Support Arguments:

• Mental health protection: Pediatricians and psychologists cite research linking social media to teen depression, anxiety, and suicide
• Parental controls: Teachers and parents' groups emphasize need for tools to limit compulsive features
• Accountability: Child safety advocates argue platforms have failed self-regulation; duty of care creates enforceable standard
• Bipartisan child protection: Framed as protecting kids, not censoring speech

The Core Divide: Senate vs. House

Provision	Senate KOSA (S. 1748)	House KIDS Act (H.R. 7757)
Duty of Care	YES - platforms must prevent/mitigate harms to minors	REMOVED - platforms only implement specific safeguards
State Enforcement	YES - state AGs can sue	LIMITED - preempts state laws
Liability Exposure	Higher - open-ended duty standard	Lower - specific compliance checklist
Tech Opposition	Intense (Chamber, Meta, Google, Apple)	Moderate (still opposed but narrower)

Why Tech is Blocking: The Senate's "duty of care" language is undefined and creates unlimited liability. Platforms cannot know in advance what courts will deem a "harm" or what "reasonable care" requires. The House version narrows this to specific, measurable requirements (parental controls, age gates, AI disclosures).

Lobbying Money by Side (Senate KOSA)

Against (Tech + Business): ~$51.5M+ (Chamber $19.75M + Meta $13.07M + Google $6.43M + Apple $5.22M + CTIA $3.64M + SIIA $2.77M + others)

For (Child Safety + Advocacy): ~$6.5M+ (AAJ $1.84M + AFT $0.9M + AAP $0.79M + APA $0.58M + eBay $0.58M + Snap $0.4M + Paramount $1.52M + others)

Money Ratio: Tech outspends child safety advocates roughly 8-to-1 on lobbying.

Who's Actually Blocking

1. Chamber of Commerce — the single largest spender, coordinating business opposition
2. Meta, Google, Apple — the three largest platforms, each spending $2.7B-$13B on lobbying across all tech issues
3. NCTA (cable/internet providers) — concerned about compliance costs
4. CTIA (wireless carriers) — age verification and data collection concerns
5. ACLU & EFF — civil liberties groups opposing on free speech/privacy grounds (distinct from tech industry, but aligned on blocking)

The real blocker: The undefined "duty of care" standard in the Senate bill, which creates open-ended liability. Tech platforms will accept the House's narrower, compliance-checklist approach but are fighting the Senate version's vague standard.

Sources

• S. 1748 - Kids Online Safety Act
• H.R. 7757 - KIDS Act
• Senate KOSA lobbying filings
• House KIDS Act lobbying filings
• ACLU opposition statement
• EFF analysis
• House panel advances kids online safety bills