KIDS Act

Bill Summary: HR 7757 – KIDS Act

Full Title: Kids Internet and Digital Safety Act

Session: 119th Congress | Jurisdiction: United States

Status: Introduced (March 3, 2026)

📌 Overview

The KIDS Act is a comprehensive legislative package designed to protect minors (defined as individuals under 17) from harmful online experiences. The bill targets several sectors of the digital economy, including social media platforms, online video games, and AI chatbots. Its primary intent is to shift the burden of safety from parents and children to the providers of digital services by mandating safety-by-design, parental controls, and strict prohibitions on exploitative features.

🛠 Key Provisions

1. Shielding Minors from Obscenity (SCREEN Act)

• Age Verification: Platforms that host a significant amount of "sexual material harmful to minors" must implement commercially available technology to verify the age of users.
• Privacy Guardrails: The bill explicitly states that providers cannot require government-issued IDs for this process and must not retain verification data longer than necessary.

2. Online Platform Safety (KOSA & SMK Acts)

• Harm Mitigation: Covered platforms must establish policies to address threats of physical violence, sexual exploitation, and the sale of illegal narcotics, tobacco, or alcohol.
• Combatting "Compulsive Usage": Platforms must provide tools to limit "design features" that encourage addiction, such as infinite scrolling, auto-play, and push notifications.
• Messaging Restrictions:
  • Children (<13): Complete prohibition of direct messaging features.
  • Teens (13–17): Mandatory parental controls for direct messaging, including the ability for parents to approve/deny new contacts.
  • Ephemeral Content: Prohibits "disappearing" messages (ephemeral messaging) for all minors.
• Profiling: Prohibits market or product-focused research on minors unless it is used specifically to improve safety and privacy.

3. Social Gaming and AI Chatbots

• Video Games: Providers must implement "most protective" default settings for minors, including restrictions on communication with strangers and limits on spending and playtime.
• AI Chatbots (SAFE BOTs Act):
  • Must disclose that they are AI and not human.
  • Must provide suicide and crisis hotline resources when prompted about self-harm.
  • Must prompt users to take a break after 3 hours of continuous interaction.

4. Research, Education, and Partnerships

• Mandated Studies: Directs the FTC and HHS to study the impact of social media on mental health and the prevalence of fentanyl sales to minors online.
• Kids Internet Safety Partnership: Establishes a 5-year partnership under the Secretary of Commerce to develop a "playbook" of best practices for developers.
• Public Awareness: Funds educational campaigns to teach parents and educators how to protect minors online.

👥 Who is Affected?

• Digital Service Providers: Social media companies, AI developers, and online gaming companies face significant new operational requirements, auditing mandates, and potential FTC penalties.
• Minors (<17): Will experience more restrictive default settings and a reduction in "addictive" design features.
• Parents: Will gain expanded, mandatory tools to monitor and restrict their children's digital interactions.

⚖️ Enforcement and Legal Framework

• Enforcement: The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is the primary enforcement agency. Violations are treated as "unfair or deceptive acts or practices."
• State Actions: State Attorneys General may bring civil actions on behalf of their residents.
• Protections: The bill includes strong "Rules of Construction" to ensure it does not:
  • Compromise end-to-end encryption.
  • Violate First Amendment free speech protections based on viewpoint.
  • Alter the legal protections afforded by Section 230.

📅 Timeline and Procedure

• Introduced: March 3, 2026.
• General Effective Date: Most provisions take effect 1 year after enactment.
• Specific Deadlines:
  • Research/Education: Some educational resources and reports are due within 6 months to 1 year.
  • Messaging/Profiling: Certain subtitles (Safe Messaging and SPY Kids) take effect within 90 to 180 days.