The Senate Commerce Committee advanced four bills on Wednesday aimed at increasing online safety requirements for minors. The legislative package, which includes the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), would require technology companies to design platforms with the safety of children in mind and provide tools for parents to monitor or restrict their children's digital interactions. While the committee approved most of the measures, it failed to advance the SCREEN Act, which would have mandated age-verification for sites containing adult content, following concerns regarding user privacy.
The committee's action highlights a procedural and substantive disagreement between the two chambers of Congress. The House of Representatives passed its own version of a kids' safety package in June, but that version lacked a "duty of care" provision—a legal requirement for platforms to mitigate potential harms to minors. Senate lawmakers, including Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), have maintained that the House version is insufficient, while some House members have argued that the Senate's "duty of care" language could lead to increased content censorship by social media companies.
In addition to KOSA, the committee approved the Youth AI Privacy Act, the CHATBOT Act, and the Children’s Artificial Intelligence Toy Safety Act of 2026. The CHATBOT Act is intended to grant parents more control over how children interact with artificial intelligence programs. During the proceedings, Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) recognized a group of parents in the audience who attribute their children's deaths to the design of tech platforms. Conversely, NetChoice, a tech industry trade group, stated that the bills are based on a "faulty premise" and could restrict minors' access to essential digital tools.
If these measures become law, parents and minors would likely notice changes in platform interfaces, such as new privacy settings and age-verification prompts, potentially as early as the next legislative cycle depending on final passage and implementation dates. The legislation could also influence how companies develop artificial intelligence for younger users, as the approved bills specifically target AI toys and chatbots. However, the exact timing of these changes remains uncertain due to the "dwindling legislative calendar" before November and the ongoing disagreement between the Senate and the House over the specific language of the mandates.
The advancement of these bills also sets a potential precedent for federal regulation of the tech industry, particularly regarding data protection and algorithm transparency. While Meta previously indicated it would not oppose KOSA if it were paired with specific provisions regarding AI and app stores, those measures were not included in Wednesday's committee vote. The next significant step in the legislative process is expected in September, when Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) indicated he plans to hold a broader markup of additional artificial intelligence measures. The full Senate must still vote on the four approved bills before they can be reconciled with the House version.