A key United States House of Representatives committee has agreed on bipartisan legislation to strengthen protections for children on social media platforms, marking one of the most significant steps toward federal regulation of Big Tech's impact on minors in years.
The leaders of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, one Republican and one Democrat, announced the agreement on Sunday, saying the bill would hold technology companies accountable for harms to children on their platforms.
Full details of the legislation have not yet been released.
The bill does not include a so-called "duty of care" provision, language that would legally require platforms to design their products with children's wellbeing in mind, a decision that advocates say could weaken the legislation's impact and complicate its passage through the Senate.
The agreement comes as Meta, TikTok, YouTube and Snapchat face thousands of child-harm lawsuits across the United States, with parents and state attorneys general alleging that the platforms knowingly designed addictive products that damaged the mental health of young users.
The bill still requires a full House vote, Senate approval, and President Donald Trump's signature before it becomes law.
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