House panel leaders strike bipartisan deal on kids’ social media rules
The agreement would require online safeguards for children and parents, but key details and Senate support remain unresolved.
By James Whitfield · Staff Writer
3 min read
Leaders of the US House Energy and Commerce Committee have reached a bipartisan agreement on legislation aimed at setting new rules for children’s use of social media. The deal marks a step forward in a long-running congressional fight over how far Washington should go in regulating technology platforms used by minors.
Committee Chairman Brett Guthrie, a Republican, and Representative Frank Pallone, the panel’s top Democrat, announced the agreement on Monday, according to Reuters. They did not release detailed bill text, but said the measure would require social media companies to provide safeguards and tools for children and parents.
In a joint statement reported by Reuters, Guthrie and Pallone said they had worked for months across party lines and had found common ground on policies to improve children’s online experience. They also said the agreement would “hold Big Tech accountable.”
The proposal comes as technology companies face growing pressure in the United States over their impact on young users. Reuters reported that parents and state officials have pushed limits on phone use in schools as part of broader efforts to reduce children’s access to social media during the school day.
Key provisions remain politically sensitive
The agreement leaves out a “duty of care” requirement, a spokesperson for committee Republicans told Reuters. That type of provision would require companies to build platforms with children’s safety in mind.
Its absence could complicate the bill’s path. Reuters reported that House Democrats and some Senate Republicans, including Senator Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, have pressed for a duty-of-care standard in children’s online safety legislation.
The agreement would allow states to enact social media laws that offer “greater protection” than the federal measure, according to Reuters. That provision is a gain for Democrats who have sought to preserve state-level laws addressing children’s online activity.
Congress has not passed broad national social media regulation despite years of debate, Reuters reported. In the absence of federal action, states have moved ahead with their own rules. At least 20 states enacted laws last year dealing with children’s social media use, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, a nonpartisan group that tracks state legislation.
Senate and White House action still needed
The House agreement still faces several obstacles before it can become law. Reuters reported that it would need support in the Senate and from President Donald Trump. A Trump spokesperson did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.
House Speaker Mike Johnson supports the agreement, Reuters reported, citing a person familiar with his thinking.
The platforms most used by Americans ages 13 to 17 include Snap’s Snapchat, Meta’s Instagram, Google’s YouTube and TikTok, according to a Pew Research Center report published in December and cited by Reuters. Meta and Google declined to comment to Reuters on the agreement, while Snap and TikTok did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Reuters has previously reported that Meta lobbied Congress for legal immunity from child-harm claims linked to social media products. Meta, TikTok, YouTube and Snapchat face thousands of lawsuits accusing them of designing platforms that harm young people, Reuters reported.
If Congress enacted such an immunity provision, Reuters reported, it could weaken those lawsuits. Meta spokesperson Stephanie Otway previously told Reuters that the provision “does not extinguish existing lawsuits.”
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.