Committee member urges passage of App Store Accountability Act to protect children

A member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce urged immediate passage of the App Store Accountability Act, saying the measure "holds big tech companies to the same standard as local corner stores" and framed it as a child-protection bill.

The committee member said the bill would "protect the next generation by empowering parents" and called the current situation "broken," asking rhetorically how many studies and hearings are needed to confirm harms to children. "So many of us on this committee are parents ourselves. We see with our own eyes the threat that big tech poses to children every single day," the committee member said.

The speaker described social media as "not only [an] addictive service for children, but it's also harmful to their mental acuity and overall health," and cited statistician Edward Tuft: "There are only two industries that call their customers users." The committee member accused technology platforms of "exploiting our laws as they continue to rake in billions of dollars in profit at the expense of our nation's children," and said, "Our nation's children deserve better and we will act right now."

The statement consisted of an opening advocacy pitch and did not record any formal motion or vote on the bill in the transcript. The timing of any committee vote or further procedural steps was not specified in the provided remarks.