Congressman Brett Guthrie, Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, and Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr., Ranking Member of the same committee, announced on June 22 an agreement on a bipartisan legislative package aimed at protecting children and teens online.
Guthrie and Pallone said in a joint statement, “Coming into this Congress, we knew that protecting children and teens online would be one of the most significant challenges this committee would have to address. In the tradition of the Energy and Commerce Committee, we worked across the aisle for many months and have now found common ground on policies to significantly improve the digital environment for kids. 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.”
The agreement centers around the Kids Internet and Digital Safety (KIDS) Act. The proposed legislation incorporates elements from several other bills including: The SCREEN Act; The Kids Online Safety Act; The Safe Messaging for Kids Act; The SPY KIDS Act; The Safer GAMING Act; The SAFE Bots Act; Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA 2.0); Data Broker Disclosures; The Safe Social Media Act; No Fentanyl on Social Media Act; Assessing Safety Tools for Parents and Minors Act; Promoting a Safe Internet for Minors Act; AWARE Act; and Kids Internet and Safety Partnership Act.
The House Energy and Commerce Committee is responsible for legislation concerning energy policy, health care matters, environmental protection measures, telecommunications regulation, as well as consumer issues such as digital privacy protections, according to the official website. Over its long history since its formation in 1795 as the Committee on Commerce and Manufactures—making it one of the oldest standing committees in Congress—the committee has influenced national policy in areas like energy innovation initiatives, broadband deployment strategies, and pharmaceutical pricing oversight, among others.
Further steps regarding consideration or advancement of this legislative package were not detailed in this announcement.