On Wednesday, August 6th, 2026, the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee voted on five bills focused on online safety and artificial intelligence (AI). Among these were the Shielding Children's Retinas from Egregious Exposure on the Net (SCREEN) Act and the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA). Both have drawn criticism from free speech advocates who warn that the measures could threaten online privacy and freedom.

The SCREEN Act, introduced by Senator Mike Lee (R–Utah), seeks to require pornography websites to block minors through stringent age verification processes. The bill asserts that "shielding minors from access to online pornographic content is a compelling government interest" and claims its measures are the "least restrictive means for Congress" to achieve this goal. However, the bill mandates that companies verify IP addresses in addition to simple age attestations like entering a birthday. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) cautions that such verification would "force millions of adult internet users to give up their anonymity, privacy, and security before they access lawful speech."

Despite privacy concerns, a majority of the committee voted in favor of the SCREEN Act, though it did not advance further due to a lack of quorum.

KOSA, under consideration since 2022, requires "covered online platforms" such as social media sites and video streaming services to implement tools and safeguards to protect users under 17 years old.

Additionally, the committee advanced a bill mandating parental consent for users under 18 before using chatbots, alongside another bill requiring AI companies to implement critical privacy safeguards on chatbots.

Representative Ruben Gallego (D–Ariz.) introduced the Parental Approval for Youth Social Media Act, which would require social media platforms to obtain parental consent for children creating or maintaining accounts. It also mandates platforms to verify users' ages and parental authorization before allowing minors access. Gallego was reportedly inspired by France's ban on social media use for children under 15.

The bills collectively reflect a bipartisan effort to enhance online safety for youth but have raised significant concerns regarding internet freedom and privacy.

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