According to The Verge, the House Energy and Commerce Committee just released a massive package of 19 bills aimed at protecting kids online, setting up what could be the most substantive internet regulations in years. The subcommittee on commerce will consider these bills during a hearing on Tuesday, including the contentious Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA). The new House version completely removes the “duty of care” provision that passed the Senate 91-3 last year, replacing it with requirements for platforms to have “reasonable policies” addressing four specific harms. The package also includes COPPA 2.0 raising privacy protections to under 17, and the RESET Act that could ban social media for anyone under 16. This represents a major reversal from last year when House Republican leadership blocked KOSA over constitutional concerns.
The KOSA Makeover
Here’s the thing about this KOSA rewrite: they basically took out the most controversial part. The original “duty of care” would have made platforms legally responsible for mitigating harms like eating disorders and depression. Critics warned that could accidentally sweep up legitimate content – like mental health resources trying to help with the very issues KOSA targets. So now platforms just need “reasonable policies” for four specific categories: physical violence threats, sexual exploitation, drugs and gambling, and financial deception. And the requirements scale with platform size and technical feasibility. It’s a much narrower approach that might actually have a shot at passing constitutional muster.
The Bigger Picture
This isn’t just about KOSA though. The package includes several other heavy hitters. COPPA 2.0 would extend privacy protections from under 13 to under 17 and ban targeted ads for those users. The App Store Accountability Act would require age verification at the app store level. But the real eyebrow-raiser is the RESET Act discussion draft that could prohibit social media entirely for kids under 16. That’s… ambitious. Basically they’re throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks. And they’re covering nonprofit platforms too, which is smart because some of the worst content moderation happens there.
What Changed Politically
Remember last year when the Senate passed KOSA overwhelmingly but House leadership killed it? Speaker Mike Johnson and Majority Leader Steve Scalise were worried about free speech implications and constitutionality. Critics accused them of being too cozy with tech interests. Now suddenly we’ve got this massive 19-bill package moving forward. So what changed? Pressure from parent groups whose kids suffered real harms online has been building. And with increased media attention on issues like sextortion and drug sales through social platforms, lawmakers can’t ignore this anymore. But let’s be real – getting 19 bills through Congress? That’s like herding cats. They’ll be lucky to pass a couple.
The Reality Check
Even if some of this passes, the implementation headaches are massive. How do you verify ages without collecting more data? What counts as “reasonable policies” for a small platform versus Facebook? And banning social media for under-16s? Good luck with that enforcement. The upcoming hearing will probably reveal these tensions. I think we’re seeing lawmakers finally get serious about kids’ online safety, but they’re learning that writing these laws is way harder than it looks. The tech industry will fight this tooth and nail, and some provisions might not survive court challenges. Still, it’s progress that they’re even having this conversation at scale.
