The House Committee on Energy and Commerce is preparing to advance a comprehensive suite of legislation aimed at protecting children and teenagers from online harms. Chairman Brett Guthrie (KY-02) and Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade Chairman Gus Bilirakis (FL-12) announced that the committee will hold a hearing on December 2, 2025, to examine multiple legislative proposals designed to enhance protections for minors in the digital space.
Upcoming Hearing Details
The Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade hearing titled “Legislative Solutions to Protect Children and Teens Online” is scheduled for Tuesday, December 2, 2025, at 10:15 AM ET. The hearing will examine ways to protect children and teens from the growing challenges they face online, including mental health harms, severe harassment, and exploitation.
“For too long, tech companies have failed to adequately protect children and teens from perils online,” said Chairmen Guthrie and Bilirakis. “Parents and lawmakers both agree on the importance of enacting meaningful protections that can stand the test of time, so we look forward to this important first step.”
Proposed Legislation
The committee is considering several bills to strengthen online protections for minors, including:
- H.R. 6291: Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act (Reps. Walberg and Lee)
- Kids Online Safety Act (Rep. Bilirakis)
- Reducing Exploitative Social Media Exposure for Teens (RESET) Act (Rep. [unspecified])
- Kids Internet Safety Partnership Act (Rep. Fry)
- H.R. 5360: AI Warnings And Resources for Education (AWARE) Act (Reps. Houchin and Auchincloss)
- H.R. 6265: Safer Guarding of Adolescents from Malicious Interactions on Network Games (GAMING) Act
Senate Companion Legislation
The Senate has also introduced the Kids Online Safety Act (S.1748), sponsored by Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and cosponsored by Senators Blumenthal, Thune, and Schumer. This comprehensive legislation requires covered online platforms—including social media, video games, messaging applications, and video streaming services—to implement tools and safeguards for users under 17.
Key provisions of the Senate bill include requirements for platforms to exercise reasonable care in designing features that increase user activity, provide parental control tools, and protect minors’ data. The legislation also prohibits market research on children under 13 and restricts research on minors under 17 without parental consent. Additionally, platforms must disclose algorithmic curation and allow users to opt out of data-driven recommendation systems.
The Federal Trade Commission and state authorities would be responsible for enforcing these requirements, ensuring tech companies comply with the new protections.
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