“The KIDS Act is not ready for a vote by the House”

WASHINGTON, D.C., June 26, 2026 – Common Sense Media's Chief Advocacy Officer Danny Weiss issued the following statement regarding plans by leadership in the U.S. House of Representatives to bring The KIDS Act to a vote before the July 4 congressional recess. Common Sense Media is the nation's leading non-profit organization dedicated to protecting and preparing children for a world in the digital and AI era.

"We appreciate the time and effort that Chairman Guthrie, Ranking Member Pallone, and other members of the Energy and Commerce Committee have invested in kids' online safety and privacy, and we recognize the bipartisan commitment to addressing these urgent issues. However, we are disappointed in the package of bills in the KIDS Act that leadership in the House plans to bring to a vote before the July 4 recess.

"The KIDS Act is not ready for a vote by the House of Representatives. Rather than meaningfully strengthening protections for kids and families, the bill in its current form risks shielding technology companies from accountability when children are harmed online.

"Given what's at stake for kids' and teens' well-being, particularly in light of recent social media litigation that found social media companies liable for harms to kids and that revealed just how long technology companies have known the harms their product features pose to young people, we are unable to support the KIDS Act as drafted.

"The current bill fails to address product design choices and business practices that drive harm to young people, both with regard to social media and artificial intelligence. We have been and remain committed to working with all lawmakers to advance legislation that addresses the needs of families and young people, that provides strong, flexible, and lasting protections for kids' safety, privacy, and their mental and physical health, that holds social media and AI companies accountable, and that preserves the rights of states to advance their own kids' online safety laws."

About Common Sense Media: Common Sense Media is the leading nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of kids and families by providing the research-backed information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive in the age of apps, algorithms, and AI. We rate, educate, and advocate to protect and prepare kids online. Our ratings, research, and resources reach more than 150 million users globally, over 1.4 million educators, and more than 100,000 schools worldwide every year.