Congress Advances Child Safety Bills After Hours of Digital Tug-of-War

KEY POINTS

•On March 3, 2026, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce voted on child safety bills including KIDS Act and Sammy's Law.
•Brett Guthrie (R-KY) sponsored the KIDS Act bundling multiple safety laws but removed the Senate’s central 'duty of care' clause.
•The package also pushes for app store age gating, sparking disagreement between Democrats and Republicans over online protections.

In a marathon House Committee session on March 3, 2026, the Kids Internet and Digital Safety (KIDS) Act, Sammy's Law, and the App Store Accountability Act waltzed hesitantly onto the House floor. Congressman Brett Guthrie (R-KY) heroically sponsored the KIDS Act, which ambitiously tries to bundle multiple child safety rules but slyly skips the Senate’s key 'duty of care' provision like it’s the weird broccoli on a kid's plate. Meanwhile, app stores might soon get forced into age gating, aka making sure your grandma isn’t downloading TikTok dressed as a 13-year-old hooligan. The full package sparked Democrat-Republican standoffs, proving that bipartisanship over children’s safety is the ultimate family therapy session no one asked for.