The House passed a sweeping internet safety package aimed at protecting children online, sending the legislation to the Senate, where lawmakers remain divided over how far the federal government should go in regulating digital platforms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Kids Internet and Digital Safety Act, known as the KIDS Act, combines 14 separate online safety bills into one package, including a proposal requiring age verification to prevent minors from accessing online pornography.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rep. Mary Miller, R-Ill., who sponsored the age-verification provision, said Congress must act as children are exposed to explicit material at increasingly younger ages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTo use figurative language, the house is on fire,\u201d Miller told the Daily Signal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Her legislation, known as the Shielding Children\u2019s Retinas from Egregious Exposure on the Net, or SCREEN Act, would require pornography websites and other platforms that host sexually explicit material harmful to minors to use age-verification technology before allowing access.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Miller argued that parents alone cannot effectively protect children from explicit content that is readily available online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSadly, the average age that our children are accessing pornography on the internet is 11, and by the time our children turn 18, 80% of them have access to pornography,\u201d Miller said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cParents are doing their best, but the truth is, with a few clicks of a button, kids can access this filth.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She also cited research linking early exposure to pornography with anxiety, depression, risky sexual behavior and other negative outcomes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe require age identification for children to access other things, tobacco, alcohol, firearms, casinos, any kind of adult entertainment, you have to prove your age,\u201d Miller said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSo that\u2019s all this bill does, is it requires the pornography companies to make the user prove their age.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While the House has embraced the SCREEN Act, the Senate has not yet incorporated the proposal into its own online safety legislation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, has introduced companion legislation in the Senate, but it has not been added to the Senate\u2019s version of the broader package, known as the Kids Online Safety Act.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That legislation, co-sponsored by Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., has been introduced multiple times since 2024 but has repeatedly stalled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The House and Senate also remain divided over key policy differences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Last week, Blumenthal said the House\u2019s version of the KIDS Act would be \u201cdead in the Senate.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz, R-Texas, indicated negotiations remain possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to lawmakers, Blackburn has also been working closely with the White House on portions of the Senate bill, particularly provisions dealing with artificial intelligence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While House Republicans consider the SCREEN Act one of the package\u2019s most important provisions, Senate supporters argue the House bill omits what they view as the centerpiece of their legislation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That provision, known as the \u201cduty of care,\u201d would require social media companies, messaging platforms and online gaming services to take reasonable steps to protect minors from harmful content and addictive features.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Federal Trade Commission would be responsible for enforcing those requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Supporters say the proposal would require companies to strengthen privacy protections, reduce unnecessary data collection and modify recommendation algorithms that may contribute to cyberbullying, addiction and mental health problems among children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite those disagreements, both chambers say negotiations are expected to continue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The House has formally transmitted the KIDS Act to the Senate, where lawmakers will begin considering how to reconcile the competing approaches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Miller said she remains committed to ensuring the age-verification provision ultimately becomes law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If Senate negotiators remove the SCREEN Act from the larger package, she said she believes it can still succeed on its own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n