This bill requires the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to launch a nationwide online safety education program within 180 days of enactment, targeting minors under 17. It mandates collaboration with schools, parents, online platforms, and nonprofits to promote best practices for safe internet use, including protection from harmful content (like adult material or cybercrimes) and mental health risks. The FTC must submit annual reports to Congress for 10 years detailing these efforts. The law directly affects minors, parents/guardians, schools, and online platforms through these educational initiatives, without restricting content or imposing new regulations.
The Kids Online Safety Act (S 1748) requires major social media platforms, online video games, and other "covered platforms" to implement specific safety features for minors (under 17). These features include default privacy settings that limit harmful design features like infinite scrolling and auto-play, parental controls for managing minors' accounts, and restrictions on advertising illegal products to minors. The bill also mandates annual transparency reports about how platforms are used by minors and requires platforms to provide clear notices about their content algorithms. It creates a Kids Online Safety Council to advise Congress on online safety issues for children. The law applies to platforms with more than 10 million monthly users in the U.S. and takes effect 18 months after enactment.
This bill amends the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) to extend protections to teens aged 12-17 in addition to children under 13. It requires operators of websites, online services, applications, and mobile apps to obtain verifiable consent from parents for children's personal information and from teens themselves for teens' personal information. The bill prohibits operators from using children's or teens' personal information for individual-specific advertising without consent, mandates clear privacy notices, and requires data deletion upon request. It also establishes new reporting requirements for the Federal Trade Commission regarding high-impact social media companies that affect children or teens.
HR 1694, the AI Accountability Act, directs the Commerce Department's Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information to study accountability measures for AI systems used in communications networks (like social media and telecom) and spectrum sharing. The study will examine how these measures can help close the digital divide, reduce cybersecurity risks, and clarify terms like "trustworthy" AI, while consulting with industry, academia, and consumers. It requires two reports within 18 months: one detailing the study findings and stakeholder feedback, and another recommending how to make AI system information accessible to the public. The bill does not impose new regulations but focuses on gathering data to inform future policy.
This bill requires large online platforms (with over 100 million monthly U.S. users) to disclose the economic value of individual user data to users every 90 days and provide simple deletion tools. It mandates public companies that rely on user data for revenue to report the aggregate value of that data in SEC filings, including collection methods and revenue streams. The law applies to entities generating significant revenue from user data, such as major social media or ad-driven services. Enforcement of user transparency falls to the FTC, while the SEC oversees the financial disclosures.
This resolution expresses the Senate's opposition to foreign entities, specifically referencing the European Union's Digital Services Act (DSA), attempting to censor or penalize constitutionally protected speech by U.S. persons. It directly affects U.S. citizens' free speech rights and U.S. technology companies (like X) operating in the U.S., which face EU fines under the DSA for content moderation practices. Key provisions state the Senate disapproves of foreign attempts to force U.S. entities to adopt censorship measures or levy penalties for speech protected under the First Amendment. The resolution condemns the EU's enforcement actions, including a $140 million fine against X, as conflicting with U.S. constitutional principles. It is a non-binding statement of opposition, not a new law.
The Children and Teens' Online Privacy Protection Act (S 836) extends COPPA protections to teens aged 13-17 by requiring websites, apps, and online services to obtain verifiable consent from parents for children or from teens themselves before collecting or using their personal information for purposes beyond the service. It defines "personal information" broadly to include biometric data, voice recordings, persistent identifiers, and geolocation information, and prohibits using such information for individual-specific advertising without consent. The bill mandates clear notice about data practices and gives children and teens rights to access, correct, and delete their personal information. Additionally, it requires the FTC to conduct studies on mobile app oversight and the GAO to study teen privacy in financial technology products.
This bill requires major internet companies (including social media, streaming services, and app stores) and broadband providers to contribute to the Universal Service Fund, which subsidizes affordable broadband in rural and high-cost areas. It exempts smaller companies that transmit less than 3% of U.S. broadband data or earn under $5 billion annually. The Federal Communications Commission must create a new support mechanism to help rural broadband providers cover costs, while ensuring contributions remain fair and predictable. The bill explicitly states it does not grant the FCC new authority over these companies.
The Platform Accountability and Transparency Act creates a structured process for researchers to access certain platform data for research while protecting user privacy. Platforms with at least 50 million US monthly users must provide specific data to qualified researchers (affiliated with US universities or nonprofits) whose projects are approved by the National Science Foundation and Federal Trade Commission. The bill requires platforms to publicly disclose information about advertising, algorithms, content moderation, and highly disseminated content, while establishing strict privacy and cybersecurity safeguards for the data. It also creates legal protections for platforms and researchers who comply with the law's requirements, ensuring researchers cannot be sued for accessing data through this process.
HR 6253 requires online platforms using personalized recommendation systems (like social media or video sites) to provide clear notices and options to minors under 18. It mandates that platforms offer an input-transparent algorithm as the default setting - meaning it doesn’t use hidden user data to curate content - and gives minors the ability to switch algorithms or limit recommendation types. Platforms must also disclose how data is collected, what the system optimizes (e.g., engagement time), and how user-specific data is used. The Federal Trade Commission will enforce these requirements under existing laws, with the bill preempting conflicting state regulations.
