U.S. House Passes Kids Online Safety Bill

The U.S. House of Representatives passed a major online safety bill for children on Monday, June 29, 2026, setting the stage for a contentious negotiation with the Senate over competing versions of the legislation. The Kids Internet and Digital Safety (KIDS) Act passed in a bipartisan 267-117 vote, clearing the chamber under a fast-track procedure requiring a two-thirds majority.

The comprehensive package, assembled from portions of over a dozen individual bills, aims to establish federal standards for protecting minors online. Its provisions would require digital platforms to implement policies to address specific harms, including sexual exploitation, threats of violence, and the sale of drugs and alcohol. It also mandates new parental controls for online gaming and AI-powered chatbots, creates guardrails for direct and disappearing messages, and requires age verification for access to adult websites. Additionally, the bill updates the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act and creates a federal registry for data brokers.

The legislation’s passage followed a last-minute bipartisan compromise between House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Brett Guthrie, a Republican from...