Kids Online Safety Act

S. 1748, the Kids Online Safety Act, would require online platforms, video games, messaging apps, and streaming services that are used or likely to be used by minors to exercise reasonable care in how they design their products, to prevent and mitigate specific harms — including eating disorders, substance abuse, suicidal behavior, compulsive use, severe harassment, sexual exploitation, and exposure to drugs, gambling, or alcohol advertising. It would require platforms to give minors easy-to-use privacy and safety settings turned on by default, limits on addictive features like infinite scroll and push notifications, an option to opt out of algorithm-driven recommendations in favor of a chronological feed, and parental tools to manage a minor's account, restrict purchases, and monitor time spent. A separate section would require platforms to let users see their feeds without personalized manipulation.

The bill applies to minors under 17, with stronger default protections for children under 13, and to their parents, who would gain new oversight tools. It excludes internet service providers, email, VPNs, schools, libraries, nonprofits, news sites, and government sites. Platforms would only need to act on what they know or reasonably should know about a user's age.

Introduced May 14, 2025 by Sen. Marsha Blackburn with bipartisan cosponsors including Sens. Blumenthal, Thune, and Schumer, the bill was referred to the Senate Commerce Committee. On August 5, 2026, the committee voted to report it favorably with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. It would next go to the full Senate for consideration, and would still need to pass the House and be signed by the President to become law.

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