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Senate Committee Advances KOSA and Kids‑Safety AI Bills That Expand Age Verification

The committee move sets up a clash over whether protecting children requires identity‑linked age checks that raise data‑collection, anonymity, and free‑speech risks.

WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 28: A general view ahead of a memorial tribute for the late U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol on July 28, 2026 in Washington, DC. Graham, who was elected to the Senate in 2002, died suddenly on July 11th from an aortic dissection. He was 71 years old. (Photo by Finn Gomez/Getty Images)
Chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Technology, and Data Privacy Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) speaks during a hearing at the U.S. Capitol on May 20, 2026 in Washington, DC. © Photo by Heather Diehl/Getty Images
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ISTANBUL, TURKEY - NOVEMBER 11: In this photo illustration, social media and messaging apps are seen on a mobile phone screen on November 11, 2025 in Istanbul, Turkey. (Photo Illustration by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

Overview

  • The Senate Commerce Committee advanced the Kids Online Safety Act to the full Senate on Wednesday, Aug. 5, sending KOSA and companion AI bills for possible floor consideration after committee votes.
  • The Senate text of KOSA keeps a statutory “duty of care” that would require platforms to design products to limit harms to minors, a standard the House removed and that is likely to push companies toward age gates or identity checks.
  • The SCREEN Act would require age verification for virtually any site that hosts a single item deemed sexually explicit and would demand checks tied to IP addresses and known VPN traffic, and it passed the committee by a narrow, contested margin.
  • Privacy and civil‑liberties groups warn the package will spur broader collection of sensitive identity data, create new breach targets at age‑verification vendors, undermine anonymity including VPN use, and incentivize platforms to limit lawful speech to avoid liability.
  • Passage remains uncertain because the House and Senate texts diverge, legal and constitutional challenges are expected, and lawmakers face a tight calendar before the November midterms that will determine whether bills reach the floor or stall.