House lawmakers have reached a bipartisan agreement on a package of online safety and privacy bills aimed at strengthening protections for children and teenagers.
House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Brett Guthrie, R-Ky., and ranking member Frank Pallone, D-N.J., announced Monday that the revised package includes the Kids Online Safety Act, known as KOSA, along with more than a dozen related bills.
The legislation is intended to hold social media companies accountable for platform designs and policies that lawmakers say can harm young users, including potential effects on children’s mental health.
“I am hopeful that this consensus legislation can soon be considered by the full House,” Guthrie said in a statement.
Republicans on the committee previously approved the package along party lines in March. The revised text now reflects a compromise with Democrats and would require social media companies to adopt policies designed to reduce risks to minors.
Guthrie and Pallone said the committee worked across party lines for months to reach common ground on policies meant to improve the digital environment for children and teens.
The measure still faces challenges. Differences between the House and Senate versions of KOSA must be resolved before the bill can advance to President Donald Trump’s desk.
A major dispute centers on the “duty of care” standard included in the Senate bill.
Under that provision, technology companies would have a legal obligation to take reasonable steps when designing platforms to prevent harm to minors.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., a co-author of the Senate version, criticized the House approach Monday, arguing that removing the duty of care would weaken the bill and fail to address concerns about Big Tech’s impact on children.
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