{time}  1550

  This bill ends that.
  To be clear, Mr. Speaker, the KIDS Act doesn't solve every problem,
but it makes one heck of a dent. It finally gives kids and teens
overdue privacy protections. It forces platforms to turn on safeguards
by default instead of burying them where no parent can find them. It
puts tools in the hands of moms and dads, and it makes companies answer
for the worst harms that they allow on their platforms.
  Is it everything I want? No. I have heard from parents and advocates
who believe we should go further, and they are right that this fight
isn't over. We can and we must continue to build upon this progress,
but I refuse to tell families to wait for a better political moment or
for a perfect bill that may never come when meaningful protections are
in front of us right now.
  Critically, these are protections built to last, not ones written to
be struck down in court on the day they take effect.
  I thank Ranking Member Pallone for his commitment to these
negotiations, and I acknowledge the work of leaders on the committee on
this issue, including Congresswoman Kathy Castor and Congresswoman
Yvette Clarke.
  Today, we pass the KIDS Act. Tomorrow, we keep fighting for safer
digital spaces for every child, especially with the rise of artificial
intelligence.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes.''
  Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from
Florida (Ms. Lee), who not only is a great committee member on our
committee, but is also one of the judicial minds on our committee who
is a great legal scholar.
  Ms. LEE of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R.
7757, the Kids Internet and Digital Safety Act, or the KIDS Act.
  Children today are growing up in a digital world that looks
dramatically different than it did just a generation ago.
  While technology has created tremendous opportunities to learn and to
connect, it has also exposed young people to online predators, sexual
exploitation, privacy violations, and increasingly sophisticated
threats driven by artificial intelligence.
  Parents are doing everything they can to protect their children
online but should not have to navigate these challenges alone.
  This legislation includes two bipartisan bills that I have been
honored to lead. The first is the Promoting a Safer Internet for Minors
Act.
  I thank the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Soto), my colleague and
fellow Floridian, for his support and partnership on this legislation.
  This bill recognizes that education is one of the strongest tools we
have to protect children before they become victims.
  It directs the Federal Trade Commission to establish a nationwide
public awareness campaign that equips parents, educators, and
communities with practical, up-to-date guidance on helping children
navigate the internet safely and responsibly.
  The second is COPPA 2.0, which I am proud to lead along with
Congressman Tim Walberg.
  When Congress enacted the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act
nearly three decades ago, social media did not exist, and online
platforms were not collecting massive amounts of personal information
to build user profiles and deliver targeted advertising.
  This bill brings our privacy laws into the modern era by extending
important protections to teenagers, limiting unnecessary data
collection, prohibiting targeted advertising to children and to teens,
creating clear expectations for tech platforms, and giving families
greater control over their personal information.
  Together, these provisions reflect a simple principle: Protecting
children online requires both empowering families with the information
they need and ensuring that online platforms handle children's personal
information responsibly.
  Technology will continue to evolve, and our laws must evolve with it.
  I am grateful to Chairman Guthrie, Subcommittee Chairman Bilirakis,
and my colleagues on the committee for their partnership in advancing
this legislation. I urge all of my colleagues to support the KIDS Act.
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from
Washington (Ms. Schrier), who is another member of our committee.
  Ms. SCHRIER. Mr. Speaker, as a mom, a pediatrician, and a Member of
Congress, I rise today to support the advancement of the KIDS Act to
take some serious steps to protect our kids and their data online and
hold Big Tech accountable.
  The KIDS Act includes my bill, the Kids Online Safety Act, which will
ensure that social media companies provide protections and guardrails
for kids online and are held accountable for the many harms they are
causing to our kids, from sleeplessness, to eating disorders, to self-
harm, and even harm from others.
  Social media companies have gone largely unregulated for decades, all
while they have become an omnipresent and bigger and bigger part of
everyday life, including for kids.
  In my 20 years as a pediatrician, I have seen the rise of mental and
behavioral health concerns for kids and teens coincide directly with
the rise of screen time and social media.
  It is long past time to hold Big Tech and social media accountable.
  This package includes many useful tools for parents to keep their
kids safe online, but parents can't do it alone. This package isn't
perfect, and I wish to see even more come out of negotiations with the
Senate. That is why I am continuing to call for a duty of care and
language that goes further to hold social media companies accountable
for the many harms that their platforms are causing, including serious
mental health issues, like anxiety, depression, addiction, eating
disorders, and suicidality.

  But this package represents the first time in decades that we have
had a chance in the House to take a step forward, to finally passing
comprehensive legislation to protect our kids. I strongly urge my
colleagues to support it today so we can make it even stronger.
  Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from
Illinois (Mrs. Miller), my good friend who has worked really hard to be
an important part of this package.
  Mrs. MILLER of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Guthrie for
his important leadership.
  Mr. Speaker, the statistics are alarming. The average age of a
child's first exposure to pornography is just 12 years old, and nearly
80 percent of America's children between 12 and 17 have already been
exposed to it.
  Not only has the sexual content become intentionally easier to
access, but it has also become increasingly violent, abusive,
normalizing sexual assault, physical violence, and nonconsensual acts
for young, impressionable minds. The consequences are devastating.
  Research has linked early exposure to pornography with anxiety,
addiction, depression, low self-esteem, body image disorders, and an
increased likelihood that minors will engage in risky and harmful
sexual behavior.
  States across America have recognized this crisis. More than a dozen
have declared children's exposure to pornography a public health
crisis, and more than two dozen States have enacted age verification
requirements for adult websites.
  Last year, the Supreme Court upheld Texas' age verification law. The
court ruled that the burden placed on adults to verify one's age is
incidental when the intent is to protect the innocence of the children.
  For that reason, I am grateful that Chairman Guthrie included the
SCREEN Act in this legislative package.
  Senator Mike Lee and I drafted this legislation to establish age
verification requirements for adult websites, creating a minimum
requirement that every State must meet while allowing flexibility to
enact stronger protections for children.
  I am a strong supporter of the First Amendment, but constitutional
law has long recognized that its protections do not extend to
obscenity.
  Our laws already require age verification to purchase alcohol,
tobacco, firearms, or to enter a casino.