Kids’ Online Safety Bill Deal Struck by House GOP, Democrats (1)

House lawmakers have reached a bipartisan deal on a legislative package intended to strengthen online safety and privacy protections for children and teenagers—a key sign of progress on a major policy priority.

Energy and Commerce Chair Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.) and ranking member Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) on Monday announced an agreement on a new version of the KIDS Act (H.R. 7757), a package of more than a dozen bills that includes the high-profile Kids Online Safety Act, or KOSA.

Securing Democratic support for the initially Republican-only package marks a significant step toward advancing the package through the chamber. House lawmakers have long sought to respond to growing concerns that social media companies, such as TikTok Inc., Snap Inc., and Meta Platforms Inc.‘s Instagram, pose risks to children and their mental health, but have yet to reach enough accord to successfully pass legislation.

“I am hopeful that this consensus legislation can soon be considered by the full House,” Guthrie said in a statement. Spokespeople for Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) did not immediately respond to requests for comment on timing.

Republicans on the committee in March had approved the package along party lines at the time, with Democrats ripping into provisions as not going far enough to safeguard younger users. The newly revised text would tweak KOSA to require social media companies to establish policies that would curb harms to young users.

Still, differences between the House and Senate version of KOSA remain, signaling challenges to get the legislation to President Donald Trump’s desk. The Senate bill would create a legal obligation for tech companies to exercise reasonable care when designing their platforms to prevent harms to minors, otherwise known as a duty of care. Lead co-sponsor Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) is separately negotiating a deal with the White House on a legislative package that would include her version of KOSA, along with preemption of state regulations on AI, in addition to other provisions.

The House package would also override state laws that do not meet the federal standards, establishing a floor, while still allowing states to enact stricter regulations related to youth online safety. The package was broadened to include a provision, championed by Pallone, that would address data brokers’ collection and use of data from minors, as well as a bill that would improve privacy settings for teens, known as the Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act.

“Through empowering parents, establishing safety as a default, strengthening privacy for children and teens, increasing transparency around data brokers, and holding Big Tech accountable, the KIDS Act delivers the 21st century protections parents have demanded and our kids deserve,” Guthrie and Pallone said in a joint statement.