House Passes Kids Internet Safety Bill 267-117, Tightening Rules for Minors and AI Chatbots
Updated
Updated · Great Bend Tribune · Jul 7
House Passes Kids Internet Safety Bill 267-117, Tightening Rules for Minors and AI Chatbots
3 articles · Updated · Great Bend Tribune · Jul 7
Summary
A 267-117 House vote approved the Kids Internet and Digital Safety Act, requiring social media, messaging and other internet companies to add protections for minors.
The bill would force platforms to block minors from sexual material, curb compulsive use, purchases and adult-minor communications, and tell minors when they are interacting with AI chatbots.
Sponsor Brett Guthrie called the measure a long-overdue safeguard for children online and said it was a milestone rather than the end of broader regulation.
The vote came in a week when the House also passed a grid security bill, a measure to recover unclaimed COVID-era unemployment funds, and a terrorism insurance reauthorization through 2034.
As new laws aim to protect kids from AI, are tech companies prepared for the coming wave of regulation?
As the U.S. invests billions to secure its power grid, are local communities truly protected from modern threats?
With a new task force chasing $1 billion in COVID fraud, can forgotten pandemic funds truly be recovered?
The 2026 KIDS Act: Expanding Online Protections for Children and Teens in the U.S.
Overview
The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Kids Internet and Digital Safety Act (KIDS Act) on June 29, 2026, marking a major move to strengthen online protections for minors. This legislation responds to growing concerns about the risks children and teens face online and brings together key elements from several earlier bills. The KIDS Act’s main goal is to update and improve existing privacy laws, especially by amending the 1998 Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), so that rules better fit today’s digital world. These changes aim to address new challenges and provide stronger safeguards for young internet users.