Subcommittee advances about 18 bills on kidsonline safety; many move to full committee

A House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on Tuesday advanced a broad package of bills aimed at protecting children and teens online, voting to send about 18 individual measures to the full committee for further action.

The markup included a mix of study directives, new standards for platform design and parental tools, and updates to existing privacy laws. Measures approved included bipartisan study bills directing the Federal Trade Commission and Health and Human Services to assess social media harms, bills to examine how dealers use social platforms to traffic fentanyl to minors, amendments to the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), and the Kids Online Safety Act (COSA) in amended form.

Why it matters: The suite of bills is designed to address multiple pathways of online harm: data collection and resale, addictive product design, algorithmic amplification and age assurance. Several members said the package represents a comprehensive approach, while others warned that certain provisions could strip away existing state protections.

What the subcommittee did today

Votes at a glance - HR 6290 (Safe Social Media Act): directed FTC and HHS to study social media effects on minors;…