Kids Online Safety Act
Latest action (5 Aug 2026): Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
What this bill does
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.
Plain-English summary generated by Bill100 AI from the official record. Always verify against the source below.
Official summary
Kids Online Safety Act
This bill requires covered online platforms, including social media platforms, to implement tools and safeguards to protect users and visitors under the age of 17. Covered platforms are online platforms, video games, messaging applications, or video streaming services used or likely to be used by individuals under the age of 17, with specified exceptions.
The bill generally requires covered platforms to exercise reasonable care in the design and use of features that increase minors’ online activity in order to prevent and mitigate harm to minors (e.g., mental health disorders and severe harassment).
Covered platforms are also required to provide certain safeguards to minors, such as protections for minors’ data; tools for parents of minors, such as access to minors’ privacy settings; and a mechanism for account holders and visitors to report harm to minors on the platform.
Covered platforms are prohibited from conducting market or product research on children under the age of 13, and may only conduct such research on those under the age of 17 with parental consent.
The bill provides for enforcement through the Federal Trade Commission and states.
The bill also requires online platforms to meet certain requirements before using algorithms that select, order, or prioritize information presented to users based on user-specific data not provided for that purpose. Specifically, such platforms must (1) provide users with notice of the use of such algorithms, and (2) permit users to switch to an algorithm that does not rely on such user-specific data.
Timeline
5 Aug 2026
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
Common questions
- What does S. 1748 do?
- 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.
- Has S. 1748 become law?
- Not yet. As of 5 Aug 2026, S. 1748 is ordered reported.
- Who sponsored S. 1748?
- S. 1748 was sponsored by Sen. Marsha Blackburn [R-TN] (Republican-TN), with 76 cosponsors.
- What's the latest action on S. 1748?
- Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably. (5 Aug 2026).
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