Guthrie unveils kids internet safety package ahead of Energy and Commerce markup
Mar 9th 2026
GOP aides say the dozen-bill Kids Internet and Digital Safety Act centers on KOSA and phone age verification, and heads into a likely partisan Energy and Commerce markup after bipartisan talks stalled.
- Chair Brett Guthrie will introduce the Kids Internet and Digital Safety Act, a package that combines a dozen bills and goes to markup Thursday.
- The package includes the latest Kids Online Safety Act, plus measures on gaming, chatbots and blocking minors from sexually explicit sites.
- KOSA would require platforms to implement procedures to address harms tied to content, including violence.
- Bipartisan talks collapsed in recent days and aides expect a largely partisan committee markup.
- Standalone bills cover smartphone age verification, kids and teens data collection, and parental alerts for severe online harms.
- The App Store Accountability Act would require age verification possibly via credit card or government ID and faces constitutional objections from Democrats.
- The House KOSA pulls back on preemption of state laws compared with earlier versions, and the markup omits some Democratic priorities on phones and data brokers.