S. 1748: Kids Online Safety Act
Sponsor
Marsha Blackburn
Republican · TN
Bill Progress
Latest Action · May 14, 2025
Read twice and Referred to Commerce, Science, and Transportation. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S2929-2930) for review
Senate bill targets risky teen platforms
Why it matters
With kids and teens spending more time on feeds, games, messaging apps, and streaming services, S. 1748 would set national rules within 1 year to 18 months of enactment for how platforms treat users under age 17.
The core of the bill is a duty of care for any covered platform likely to be used by a minor, meaning anyone under age 17. Those platforms would have to use reasonable care to prevent or reduce specific harms: eating disorders, substance use disorders, suicidal behaviors, depressive or anxiety disorders tied to compulsive usage, patterns showing compulsive usage, severe physical violence or harassment, sexual exploitation and abuse, the sale or distribution of drugs, tobacco, cannabis, gambling, or alcohol, and financial harms from unfair or deceptive practices. The bill defines "compulsive usage" broadly as persistent or repetitive use that significantly affects major life activities like sleeping, eating, learning, reading, concentrating, communicating, socializing, or working.
What does S. 1748 do?
Default protections for everyone under 17
For minors, defined as anyone under age 17, covered platforms must set safety safeguards to the "most protective level" by default. Those safeguards must include tools to limit communications, restrict public access to personal data, limit features like infinite scroll and auto-play, control recommendation systems, and restrict geolocation tracking.
Platform responses due in 10 or 21 days
Every covered platform must provide a way to report harms. Platforms with more than 10 million monthly U.S. users must respond within 10 days, while platforms with fewer than 10 million monthly U.S. users get 21 days; imminent threats must be handled as promptly as needed.
Duty of care covers suicide, drugs, harassment
Under section 102, platforms must use reasonable care to prevent or reduce specific harms, including eating disorders, substance use disorders, suicidal behaviors, depressive or anxiety disorders linked to compulsive usage, severe physical violence or harassment, sexual exploitation and abuse, and the distribution of drugs, tobacco, cannabis, gambling, or alcohol.
Annual audits for platforms above 10 million users
Platforms with more than 10 million monthly U.S. users must publish a public transparency report every year based on an independent third-party audit. The report must examine minor access, commercial interests, time-spent metrics, handling of user reports, and whether safety safeguards are effective.
Research ban for under 13, consent for 13-16
The bill prohibits market or product-focused research on children under age 13. For minors ages 13 through 16, that kind of research is allowed only with verifiable parental consent.
Algorithm choice required within 1 year
Beginning 1 year after enactment, platforms using an opaque algorithm must tell users how the system works and offer a switch to an input-transparent algorithm. They also cannot charge higher prices or deny service to users who choose the input-transparent option.
Who benefits from S. 1748?
Children under 13
They would get the strongest baseline protections because the bill defines a child as under age 13, bans market or product-focused research on that age group entirely, and requires covered platforms used by minors to default to the most protective safety settings.
Teens ages 13 through 16
This group would gain privacy and design protections while also getting extra rules around data-driven research. Research on minors ages 13 through 16 would require verifiable parental consent, and they would have access to default safeguards against contact, tracking, recommendation systems, and features like auto-play and infinite scroll.
Parents and guardians
Parents would get mandatory tools to manage privacy and account settings, restrict purchases, and view or limit time spent. That is especially important in video games with microtransactions, which the bill defines as purchases in an online video game, including virtual currency, but not gameplay-earned currency or level or expansion purchases.
Users who want less personalized feeds
Anyone using a covered platform would benefit from the filter-bubble rules because, within 1 year of enactment, platforms using opaque algorithms must offer an input-transparent alternative and cannot charge more or cut off service if a user picks that option.
Who is affected by S. 1748?
Large social media, gaming, messaging, and streaming companies
Companies likely to be used by minors under age 17 would face the biggest compliance burden. If they have more than 10 million monthly U.S. users, they must meet a 10-day reporting response deadline and produce an annual public report based on an independent third-party audit.
Smaller covered platforms under 10 million monthly U.S. users
Smaller services would still have to provide the same core safeguards and reporting tools, but they would have 21 days instead of 10 days to respond to user reports. They would also still need to comply with the general effective date of 18 months after enactment.
Federal regulators and agencies
The FTC would enforce the law as an unfair or deceptive act and must issue guidance within 18 months of enactment on design features, knowledge standards, and compliance. The Secretary of Commerce, FCC, and FTC must also complete an age-verification study within 1 year.
State Attorneys General
State AGs would gain power to bring civil actions over violations of sections 103, 104, and 105, covering safeguards and transparency rules. But they could not use section 102, the duty of care, as the basis for state-level liability.
What Congress Is Saying
S. 1748 hasn't been debated on the floor yet.
This section updates when a legislator speaks about it on the floor or in committee.
S1748 Legislative Journey
Introduced
May 14, 2025
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S2929-2930)
+1 more action this day
About the Sponsor
Marsha Blackburn
Republican, TN · 23 years in Congress
Committees: Joint Economic Committee, Veterans' Affairs, Commerce, Science, and Transportation
View full profile →
Cosponsors (75)
This bill has 75 cosponsors: 33 Democrats, 41 Republicans, 1 Independent, reflecting bipartisan support. Cosponsors represent 46 states: Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, and 43 more.
Richard Blumenthal
Democrat · CT
John Thune
Republican · SD
Charles Schumer
Democrat · NY
Amy Klobuchar
Democrat · MN
John Hickenlooper
Democrat · CO
Mark Kelly
Democrat · AZ
Maggie Hassan
Democrat · NH
Martin Heinrich
Democrat · NM
Brian Schatz
Democrat · HI
Roger Marshall
Republican · KS
Mike Crapo
Republican · ID
Ashley Moody
Republican · FL
Committee Sponsors
Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee
19 of 28 committee members cosponsored
5 Republicans across this committee haven't cosponsored yet. Mobilize their constituents
S. 1748 Quick Facts
- Committee
- Commerce, Science, and Transportation
- Chamber
- Senate
- Policy
- Science, Technology, Communications
- Introduced
- May 14, 2025
Read twice and Referred to Commerce, Science, and Transportation. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S2929-2930) for review
May 14, 2025
Who is lobbying on S. 1748?
17 organizations lobbying on this bill
ROBLOX CORPORATION | 8 |
BSA THE SOFTWARE ALLIANCE (FORMERLY BSA BUSINESS SOFTWARE ALLIANCE INC) | 8 |
GENERAL FEDERATION OF WOMEN'S CLUBS | 8 |
VERIZON COMMUNICATIONS INC AND ITS SUBSIDIARIES | 7 |
COMPUTER & COMMUNICATIONS INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION | 6 |
GOOGLE CLIENT SERVICES | 6 |
APPLE INC. | 6 |
COALITION FOR CHILD PROTECTION & ACCOUNTABILITY | 6 |
META PLATFORMS, INC. | 4 |
YAHOO INC, AND VAR. SUBS/AFFILIATES (FKA COLLEGE PARENT, L.P. DBA "YAHOO") | 4 |
Showing 1-10 of 17 organizations
S. 1748 Bill Text
“To protect the safety of children on the internet. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the “Kids Online Safety Act”. (b) Table of Contents.”
Source: U.S. Government Publishing Office
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