House lawmakers are preparing to unveil a package of legislation aimed at improving safety and privacy for children online as early as next week, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The House Energy and Commerce Committee plans to release several bills related to kids’ online safety in response to long-running concerns that tech companies are harming children and their mental health through addictive algorithms and harmful content that promotes violence, substance abuse, and sexual exploitation.
The legislative package will also be the subject of a hearing that the committee is looking at holding the week of Dec. 1, the person said.
Committee Chair Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.) has said strengthening online protections for children and teenagers is a top priority, and advocates have long called on the House to act.
Bills that may be part of the legislative package include the Kids Online Safety Act (S.1748), which would require companies to take steps to prevent harm to young users, COPPA 2.0 (S. 836), which would expand teen online privacy protections, Sammy’s Law (H.R. 2657), which would provide parents with third-party apps to monitor their child’s social media use, and the App Store Accountability Act (H.R. 3149), which would require age verification to download apps.
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