Pallone Strikes Bipartisan Deal to Protect Kids Online and Rein in Big Tech

After months of negotiation, Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) struck a bipartisan deal to protect America’s kids and teens online and start to rein in abuses by Big Tech this week. The Top Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee reached the deal with Republican Chairman Brett Guthrie (R-KY) on an updated version of the Kids Internet and Digital Safety (KIDS) Act.

“Big Tech has had a free pass for far too long while kids and teens face real harm online, including predatory design features, dangerous chatbots, and data brokers profiting off their personal information,” Pallone said. “This agreement proves Congress can come together to deliver real online protections for our nation’s young people. I’m proud of the work the House Energy and Commerce Committee has done on a bipartisan basis, and I look forward to working to bring this package to the House floor for a vote soon.”

The bipartisan agreement includes years of legislative work to protect children and teens online. The updated KIDS Act includes the following:

• Kids Online Safety Act or KOSA: Requires platforms to establish policies to prevent harms to minors and to provide specific safeguards and tools to minors and parents.
• Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) 2.0: Expands the existing law protecting children’s data to strengthen protections and include teens up to age 17. Bans targeted advertising to children and teens.
• SCREEN Act: Requires adult websites to verify that users are not minors.
• SAFER Gaming Act: Requires online video games to provide safeguards and parental tools to protect minors.
• SAFE Bots Act: Requires chatbot providers to ensure that chatbots interacting with minors cannot pretend to be licensed professionals, must remind users they are not human, encourage breaks, and provide suicide prevention resources.
• Spy Kids Act: Prohibits social media platforms from conducting market research on minors.
• Data Broker Disclosure: Requires data brokers that handle kids’ data to register with the Federal Trade Commission, bringing transparency and accountability to what’s been a secretive process.
• Study and Public Awareness: The bipartisan agreement also includes a number of bills intended to study children and teens online safety and promote public awareness, including: Safe Social Media Act; No Fentanyl on Social Media Act; Assessing Safety Tools for Parents and Minors Act; Study on Chatbots and Mental Health of Minors; Promoting a Safe Internet for Minors Act; Kids Internet and Safety Partnership Act; and AI Warnings and Resources for Education (AWARE) Act.