On December 11, 2025, the U.S. House Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade subcommittee advanced 18 bills seeking to protect children and teens online. Two of those bills, COPPA 2.0, an update to the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998, and the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) have come to the forefront.
COPPA 2.0 would prohibit companies from collecting personal information from users who are 16 years or younger, ban targeted advertising to children and teens, and create data minimization rules that would prohibit excessive collection of minors’ personal data. KOSA would prohibit “children from being exposed to or targeted with ads for illegal or inappropriate content like drugs and alcohol, addresses addictive design features that keep kids hooked and can harm their mental health, and aims to hold “Big Tech” accountable with mandatory audits and strong enforcement by the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) and state attorneys general.
The proposals approved during the markup session now go to the full House Energy and Commerce Committee and, if approved there, to the House floor.
Despite the subcommittee passing all 18 bills, Democratic subcommittee members expressed concern over a preemption clause — especially as included in KOSA and COPPA 2.0 — that could wipe out state laws with stronger online protections for minors than the current federal proposals.
Previously, on December 2, 2025, the subcommittee held a hearing to discuss bills seeking to address the harm social media poses to children and teens.
Although various pieces of legislation on updated federal protections for children and teens online have been pending for years.
Versions of both COPPA 2.0 and KOSA were approved by the full Senate in 2024.
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