US House committee reaches bipartisan deal on children’s media rules | Social Media News

Committee leaders did not elaborate but said the bill would “hold Big Tech accountable”.

Leaders of the US House Energy and Commerce Committee have reached a bipartisan deal on legislation that would require social networking sites to provide safeguards and tools for children and parents, a key step in the decades-long debate over how to protect children online.

Chairman Brett Guthrie and senior committee Democrat Frank Pallone declined to release details of the deal announced Monday, but said it would “hold Big Tech accountable.”

“We’ve worked across the aisle for months and now we’ve reached common ground on a plan to dramatically improve the digital environment for children,” Guthrie and Pallone said in a joint statement.

Technology companies are increasingly scrutinizing their impact on young people in the United States, with parents and government officials pushing to ban phones in schools to limit access.

The agreement between the two countries also addresses a number of issues in the dispute over social media law.

The agreement did not include “maintenance work”, a spokesman for the Republican committees said. Such language would require companies to design social media sites with child safety in mind.

Democrats in the House of Representatives and senior Senate Republicans, such as Tennessee’s Marsha Blackburn, have long called for a “duty of care” to be included in any Internet security legislation, which is pushing the bill forward.

States would be allowed to pass social media laws that provide “greater protections” than those established in the treaty, a victory for Democrats who want to keep the rules.

The deal faces several hurdles before becoming law, including winning the Senate and President Donald Trump. A spokesman for Trump did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Speaker Mike Johnson, the top Republican in the US House, supports the deal, according to a source familiar with his views.

Government regulations

Around the world, US lawmakers have for years resisted implementing social media regulation, prompting states to enact their own laws. About 20 states enacted laws last year to limit the use of social media by children, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, an organization that tracks state spending.

Snapchat’s Snapchat, Meta’s Instagram, Google’s YouTube, and TikTok are the most popular digital platforms for Americans aged 13-17, according to a Pew Research Center report published in December. Meta and Google declined to comment Monday on the bipartisan agreement. Snap and TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Reuters previously reported that Meta had lobbied the US Congress for legal protections against child abuse linked to social media content. Meta, TikTok, YouTube and Snapchat are facing thousands of lawsuits accusing them of creating social media sites that are dangerous to young people. If such a law becomes law, it could weaken those cases.

Asked about the lobbying effort and the proposed language, Meta spokeswoman Stephanie Otway told Reuters the law “doesn’t shut down existing cases”.