Big Tech Taps Ties to GOP Lawmakers to Stall Child Safety Bill

Top House Republicans are stalling landmark US legislation that would protect children from online exploitation and bullying, bowing to criticisms from Big Tech and exposing a rift within the party over regulating social media.

The legislation, the Kids Online Safety Act, passed the Senate on a 91-3 vote in July and President Joe Biden has vowed to sign it into law. But House GOP leaders, as well as several other Republican lawmakers, have raised concerns that it’s too heavy handed and could sideline some conservative content online.

Senator Marsha Blackburn, a Tennessee Republican who helped author the Senate-passed bill, looks at Julianna Arnold, of Parents for Safe Online Spaces, during a news conference on July 25.

Photographer: Kent Nishimura/Getty Images

The emotionally charged debate over the legislation has laid bare the resilience ...