Key facts
- A bipartisan House package aims to enhance children's online safety.
- The legislation includes measures on AI chatbots, age verification, and restrictions on disappearing messages.
- Lawmakers are divided on the role of federal preemption in AI standards and child safety legislation.
- The House is proposing minimum federal standards while allowing states to legislate more aggressive protections.
- The AI industry, represented by Chamber of Progress, suggests the current approach may be too broad.
A legislative push in the House to enhance children's online safety, encompassing AI chatbot disclosures and age verification, is creating complexities for broader federal AI policy discussions. The proposed Kids Internet and Digital Safety Act (KIDS Act) aims for minimum federal standards while permitting states to enact more stringent protections, a move designed to address Democratic concerns about earlier versions limiting state authority.
However, the approach faces divisions among lawmakers regarding federal preemption and the inclusion of specific provisions like a 'duty of care' in the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA). Adam Kovacevich, CEO of the tech industry group Chamber of Progress, suggested that the industry's eagerness for federal standards might be overestimated and that the current legislative strategy could be attempting to address too many issues at once.
Meanwhile, Senator Cruz is also planning to advance a package of kids' safety legislation, which reportedly includes KOSA, restrictions on minors' data use for advertising, and a ban on social media for children under 13. The White House has not yet commented on the developments.