Kids Off Social Media Act
HB7433, the “Kids Off Social Media Act,” would create federal restrictions on social media use by children and teens. Title I would prohibit social media platforms from allowing accounts for users under age 13, require termination of existing accounts known to belong to children, and require deletion of children’s personal data subject to limited retention and portability provisions. It would also bar platforms from using personalized recommendation systems for users under 17, with narrow exceptions for limited location, language, device, age, and child/teen status data, while preserving search, safety, spam filtering, and chronological feeds for teen-selected content.
The bill also includes a school-focused title, the “Eyes on the Board Act of 2026,” which would amend the Children’s Internet Protection Act and related E-Rate rules to condition certain school broadband subsidies on schools certifying that they are blocking student access to social media platforms on supported devices and networks. It would require schools to adopt and enforce internet safety policies, create a public database of those policies, and allow the FCC to enforce compliance, while exempting most libraries and preserving teacher use of social media for instruction. The bill would take effect one year after enactment and includes a severability clause.
If enacted, the bill would add new federal requirements for social media platforms regarding age-based account access, data deletion, and limits on algorithmic recommendation systems for minors, enforced primarily by the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general. It would also amend the Communications Act and Children’s Internet Protection Act framework to tie school eligibility for E-Rate discounts to social media blocking and internet safety policy certifications, affecting elementary and secondary schools, school boards, local educational agencies, and certain libraries. The bill expressly preserves COPPA, FERPA, and state laws that provide greater protection, while preempting only conflicting state laws.
The available record shows no committee transcript or vote history, so there is no documented floor or committee sentiment to assess. Based on the bill’s structure, the measure appears designed as a child-safety and school-protection proposal, with a strong regulatory approach toward platform design and school network controls. Because no recorded debate or votes are included, support or opposition cannot be measured from the provided materials.
The main points of potential contention are the bill’s restrictions on personalized recommendation systems, the requirement that platforms infer when a user is a child or teen based on objective circumstances, and the school certification regime tied to federal broadband subsidies. Critics could argue that the bill raises privacy, implementation, and free-expression concerns, especially around age determination, content ranking, and school monitoring obligations. Supporters are likely to emphasize child safety, reduced addictive design, and limits on social media exposure in schools. The bill attempts to address some concerns by avoiding mandatory age verification, limiting data collection and retention, and allowing good-faith compliance flexibility for schools.