US House Passes Law to Protect Kids Online

The US House of Representatives passed a new law to protect kids online with 267 votes in favor and 117 against.

The new law, called the KIDS Act, is a compromise between different parties and aims to keep kids safe online. It includes rules to limit the use of secret messages by minors, make AI chatbots clear they are not human, and verify the age of users on platforms with adult content. To verify age, users may need to show their ID or have a facial scan.

The KIDS Act combines parts of 14 different bills about online safety, including the Kids Online Safety Act. However, it does not include a key part that would require platforms to actively prevent harm to kids, which is causing concern among child safety advocates and some senators.

There has been a lot of debate about the Kids Online Safety Act. Some people are worried it could be used to target certain types of content online, which has led to concerns from LGBTQ advocates and digital civil liberty groups. These groups argue that the law could endanger online rights and be used to censor content.

In May 2026, a group of state attorneys general warned that the new law could limit the power of states to create their own stronger child safety protections. This concern was important to some lawmakers, including Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who voted against the bill.

The KIDS Act's use of age verification is facing a significant challenge.

Research suggests that age-verification laws do not work as intended. A study found that when such laws were put in place, people did not stop looking for adult content but instead moved to platforms that did not follow the rules. This led to a rise in searches for non-compliant platforms and tools to bypass restrictions.

The company behind Pornhub said that after age-verification rules were applied, their traffic dropped by about 80% in one state. However, they noted that users did not stop looking for adult content; they just went to other, less safe sites.

The study had some limitations, such as not being able to specifically track the behavior of minors, but another study found similar results.

It is unclear if the KIDS Act will pass in the Senate in its current form due to ongoing disagreements and the limited time left before the legislative break.

The future of the law and its impact on online safety and privacy remains to be seen.

The law affects issues of privacy, social good, government, and politics.

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