Protecting Young Users Online
Bipartisan House Deal Advances Package to Strengthen Children's Online Safety and Privacy
Key Points
The package comprises more than a dozen bills, indicating a broader legislative effort on youth online safety beyond the KIDS Act and KOSA.
In March, the previous version advanced out of House committee by a 28-24 vote, showing partisan alignment at that stage.
The revised text includes a teen privacy measure named the Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act, in addition to data-broker transparency provisions.
Guthrie said, 'I am hopeful that this consensus legislation can soon be considered by the full House,' signaling optimism for moving the package forward.
Leaders did not release details about the deal when announcing it, with Reuters noting the absence of specifics.
House Energy and Commerce Committee leaders struck a bipartisan deal on June 22 to advance a sweeping package of children's online safety bills, reversing months of partisan gridlock. The package centers on the Kids Internet and Digital Safety (KIDS) Act and the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), and covers more than 14 individual pieces of legislation, according to Reuters.
Chair Brett Guthrie (R-KY) and Ranking Member Frank Pallone (D-NJ) announced the deal jointly. Guthrie said, "I am hopeful that this consensus legislation can soon be considered by the full House." The announcement marks a sharp turn from March, when the committee passed an earlier version 28-24 along strict party lines, according to K-12 Dive.
From Partisan Deadlock to Bipartisan Breakthrough
The road to this deal was rocky. In March 2026, negotiations collapsed over two main fights: whether federal law should override state rules (called "preemption") and whether platforms should have a legal "duty of care" toward minors. The March bill passed without a single Democratic vote, according to Investing.com.
Analysts say Guthrie likely agreed to fold in a stronger version of the Children and Teens' Online Privacy Protection Act — which he had pulled from the March markup — in exchange for Pallone's support, according to Quartz. The Senate had already passed its version of these bills 91-3, putting pressure on the House to act.
What the Deal Would Require Big Tech to Do
The revised package would require social media platforms to set privacy and safety settings to the highest level by default for users under 17. Features like infinite scroll and autoplay may need to be redesigned entirely for younger users, according to K-12 Dive. The bill also targets addictive algorithms, aiming to turn them off by default for minors.
The package also takes aim at data brokers — companies that collect and sell personal information. New rules would require brokers to disclose how they gather and trade minors' data. Pallone said the deal would "strengthen teen privacy" and "hold Big Tech accountable," according to the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
State Laws Versus a Single Federal Standard
One of the biggest unresolved tensions is whether the federal law acts as a "floor" — allowing states to add stronger rules — or a "ceiling" that blocks them. Bob Duff of the National Conference of State Legislatures warned that a federal ceiling would "strip states of the authority to enact stronger protections," according to UPI.
Tech industry groups like NetChoice have pushed hard for preemption, arguing that 50 different state laws create a costly "patchwork" of rules. Guthrie and Pallone frame the federal standard as a way to guarantee that every American child gets the same baseline protection, regardless of where they live, according to the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
What Comes Next and Why It Matters
Leaders did not release the full text of the deal when they announced it, leaving key details unconfirmed, according to Reuters. Scrutiny will focus on the "knowledge standard" — specifically, whether companies must verify users' ages or simply respond once they know a minor is present. That distinction determines how easy it is to hold platforms legally responsible.
If the package passes the full House and aligns with the Senate version, it would be the biggest federal regulation of the tech industry in nearly 30 years. The last major law protecting children online, the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, was passed in 1998 — before smartphones, social media, or algorithmic feeds existed, according to Yahoo News.
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