Over the course of just 48 hours, Congress moved more aggressively on child online safety than it has in nearly a decade—and a federal court quietly reminded everyone that the entire framework might not survive a constitutional challenge that pits safety against privacy. The state laws have added a whole other level of complexity to the issue, especially considering each of the four states have various restrictions, meaning no law is the same. Jacqueline Klosek, a partner in Goodwin’s Technology practice, says the overlapping demands are already straining clients. "As a practitioner, I myself am very much challenged by the morass of laws at the state level, and the clients I deal with are also challenged by this. Nobody’s just functioning in one state, and there’s a plethora of laws out there," she told Fortune. KOSA raising the age of protection to 17 closes off what Klosek calls the industry’s longtime workaround. "There’s no longer going to be this kind of somewhat easy out, and saying, 'I’ll just focus on users above their teens and not worry so much about this.' If I’m dealing with minors at all, I have to think more holistically about privacy, security, and safety." Klosek, who has watched clients navigate this landscape for years, says the frustration is structural. "I think industry, parents, and government all see an issue, a problem—we’re just struggling to identify the best solutions."
Read the Fortune article for more.