Report from NBC News
In Brief – The US House has passed the KIDS Act, a bipartisan package of 14 digital regulation measures that include requiring online platforms to introduce new safety features and parental controls, restricting targeted advertising, and establishing rules for AI chatbots and online games. Critics argue it will undermine privacy and free speech. Although the House passed the bill without allowing any votes on specific provisions, its backers will eventually need to negotiate with the Senate, which passed a more stringent Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) in 2024. Although the text of the House bill says that nothing in the measure requires that digital platforms use age verification, privacy advocates argue that the package of age-related restrictions backed by threats of legal and regulatory penalties will inevitably push platforms to adopt identity checks that threaten online anonymity and privacy, as well as discouraging sensitive online topics and discussions, especially by teens. A House-Senate negotiating process is expected to be contentious.
Context – AI fears and regulations have thrown a huge wrench into debates over social media regulatory proposals that have been tied up in Congress for years. The Trump Administration argues that AI development and deregulation is critical to economic and strategic competition with China. Ironically, while even the EU has begun to dial back AI regulation, some US states are moving in the other direction. The White House has tried to push a moratorium on state AI laws through Congress but has been blocked by united Democratic opposition backed by enough Republican tech critics. In response, the White House is reportedly engaged in negotiations with Hill tech critics, especially Republicans, to pair three years of federal preemption of state AI laws with social media, app store, and AI regulatory proposals that have been stymied by opposition on the left and on the right. Along with those long-time critics, a further wildcard is the likely reality that many Democrats privately want to keep AI debates on the front burner for election season rather than pass bills this fall when they can wait and push again next year.