On Wednesday, August 6th, 2026, the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee voted on five bills aimed at enhancing online safety and regulating artificial intelligence. Among the legislation were the Shielding Children's Retinas from Egregious Exposure on the Net (SCREEN) Act and the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA).

The SCREEN Act, introduced by Senator Mike Lee (R–Utah), seeks to require pornography websites to block minors through strict age verification methods, including IP address checks beyond simple age attestation. 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 Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) warned 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 due to lack of quorum.

KOSA, under consideration by Congress since 2022, mandates that "covered online platforms" such as social media and video streaming services implement tools and safeguards to protect users under 17. Free speech advocates have expressed concerns that KOSA could threaten online privacy and freedom.

Additionally, the committee advanced a bill requiring users under 18 to obtain parental consent before using chatbots, as well as legislation mandating 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 and to verify users' ages and parental authorization before allowing minors access. Gallego cited France's ban on social media use for children under 15 as inspiration for this proposal.

The EFF also noted that these bills impose requirements beyond minors, potentially affecting adult users' First Amendment rights by enforcing protections against subjective reactions to constitutionally protected speech.

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