PROTECTING CHILDREN

OR ERODING ONLINE PRIVACY?

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed H.R. 7757, the KIDS Act (Kids Internet and Digital Safety Act), sending one of the most sweeping internet regulation packages in years to the Senate. While the legislation is intended to protect children better online, it also raises serious questions about privacy, anonymous internet access, and whether millions of adults could eventually be required to prove their identity before accessing lawful online content.

Although much of the public debate has focused on the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), KOSA is only one part of H.R. 7757. The KIDS Act combines several previously separate proposals into one legislative package, including provisions from the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), the Children and Teens' Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA 2.0), originally introduced as S. 836, the Promoting a Safe Internet for Minors Act (H.R. 6289), the Kids Internet Safety Partnership Act (H.R. 6437), and other related measures. Rather than advancing independently, these proposals have been consolidated into a single comprehensive bill, making H.R. 7757 one of the most significant internet regulation measures considered by Congress in years.

The House package is only one part of a broader congressional effort. Separately, the Senate Commerce Committee has advanced a revised Kids Online Safety Act (S. 1748), the Youth AI Privacy Act (S. 4199), the CHATBOT Act (S. 4407), and the Children's Artificial Intelligence Toy Safety Act of 2026 (S. 5171). These Senate bills are not part of H.R. 7757, but together they demonstrate that Congress is pursuing a wide-ranging agenda to regulate children's online activity, artificial intelligence, and digital platforms.

Supporters argue that these measures are needed to better protect children from online exploitation, harassment, addictive algorithms, and harmful content. Yet taken together, they also represent a significant expansion of government involvement in how internet platforms operate and how Americans access online services.

Those concerns are no longer theoretical. The United Kingdom has already provided a real-world example of where this approach can lead. Under its Online Safety Act, many websites now require adults to verify their age before accessing certain legal online content. Depending on the service, that can mean submitting a government-issued ID, using facial age estimation, providing banking information, or relying on other approved forms of digital identity verification. The result is that millions of adults—not just children—are now being asked to identify themselves to access parts of the internet that were once freely available.

The rollout has also sparked widespread privacy concerns and a surge in VPN use, as many people sought to avoid intrusive age-verification requirements. While the law was enacted to protect children, it has also transformed the online experience for adults by making anonymous access to many websites increasingly difficult.

This is no longer just about protecting children. Once websites begin verifying users' ages, everyone becomes subject to the same verification systems. Adults who have committed no crime and pose no threat to children may increasingly be asked to surrender personal information to access lawful information online. That represents a significant shift in the balance between public safety and individual privacy.

Once websites face legal liability for allowing minors to access certain content, they have every incentive to demand more information from every user. Rather than risk lawsuits or government penalties, many platforms are likely to collect more personal data, monitor users more closely, and restrict access whenever there is uncertainty. What begins as a child protection measure can easily become a system that reshapes how every adult accesses the internet.

The legislation could also place the greatest burden on smaller websites, nonprofit organizations, and independent online communities. Large technology companies already have the legal departments and financial resources needed to comply with complex regulations, while smaller competitors often do not. Instead of reducing Big Tech's dominance, these laws could make it even harder for independent platforms to survive.

Children deserve meaningful protections online, but protecting children should not become a blanket justification for expanding surveillance of adults or making anonymous access to lawful information a thing of the past. A free society should be extremely cautious about requiring its citizens to identify themselves before they can read, communicate, or participate online.

History has repeatedly shown that once governments and private companies build systems capable of verifying identities and restricting access to information, those systems often expand beyond their original purpose. Infrastructure created for one purpose often finds new uses over time. That is why legislation affecting the basic architecture of the internet deserves careful public scrutiny before it becomes law.

The House's passage of H.R. 7757 marks a major step toward reshaping internet regulation in the United States. The experience in the United Kingdom demonstrates that laws intended to protect children can also fundamentally change the online experience for millions of adults. As the Senate considers H.R. 7757 alongside related measures such as S. 1748, S. 4199, S. 4407, and S. 5171, lawmakers should ensure that efforts to protect children do not unnecessarily come at the expense of privacy, anonymity, free expression, and the civil liberties of everyone else.

The House Passes the KIDS Act

Commerce Committee Advances Kids Online Safety Legislation

Senate Panel Advances Kids Online Safety Package Despite Civil Liberties Concerns (Common Dreams, 8-5-26)

KOSA advances Senate panel; age verification bill falls short of meeting quorum (The Hill, 8-5-26)

Senate Commerce votes to advance key kids’ safety measure (Politico, 8-5-26)