The U. S.
House of Representatives passed a bipartisan children's online safety package on Monday with a 267-117 vote.
The legislation introduces strict safety measures for digital platforms, though it faces concerns regarding user privacy and freedom of expression.
Key Provisions of the KIDS Act
Known as the Kids Internet and Digital Safety (KIDS) Act, the bill mandates parental controls, restricts data usage for targeted ads aimed at minors, and requires age verification for adult websites.
It also sets regulations for online games and artificial intelligence chatbots.
“This is a major step toward a safer online world for kids, making safety the default, giving parents more tools to protect their children and teens, and holding Big Tech accountable,” the House Energy and Commerce Committee wrote in a social media post.
Lawmakers chose to exclude a controversial "duty of care" obligation that was included in the Senate's alternative bill, the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA).
Digital rights groups argue that the revised framework remains problematic for general internet users.
“The package of cobbled-together bills is a mess, with different age-gating schemes for different services, using different standards.
It’s a lot of complexity, and a lot of legal risk,” wrote Joe Mullin, a senior policy analyst for the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
The organization raised concerns that requiring government identification or biometric checks to verify ages could compromise anonymous speech.
Tech industry groups have also expressed opposition to the newly approved package.
“All of these bills degrade privacy and security, materially diminish the First Amendment protections that young people and adults have a full right to as Americans, and bring the United States more in line with a global effort to undermine the free and open internet,” wrote Zach Lilly, NetChoice’s director of government affairs, on X.
Lilly further stated that the "House took a major step in asserting federal influence over online speech" despite characterizing the legislation as a "well intentioned bill".
The package now moves to the Senate, where some lawmakers have expressed dissatisfaction over the omission of stricter oversight provisions found in KOSA.
“The bottom line is that this package has gutted many of the key provisions in the Senate bill necessary to protect kids and their families,” Sen.
Maria Cantwell, D-Wash.
, wrote in a statement last week, adding that “it is grouped with another set of bills that also fall short of showing what strong safety measures are needed for kids, and instead inserts many studies at a time when our government needs to do more than just study this problem.”
Legal experts remain skeptical that both legislative chambers will successfully reconcile their differences to pass a final bill into law.
“One way to look at the KIDS Act is as a censorship bill, which it is,” wrote Preston Byrne, a senior fellow of the Adam Smith Institute and adviser to the U.
K. Free Speech Union, on X.
Byrne noted that the bill represents a challenge to the Senate's approach, stating, “Another way to look at it is as a middle finger to the Senate and its even worse bill, KOSA.
I’m not sure any of this gets worked out in conference between the two chambers.”
