Commerce Committee Advances Kids Online Safety Legislation

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation advanced four measures relating to kids’ online safety and Coast Guard promotions.

The following actions were taken during today’s Executive Session: 

Agreed to by voice vote:  

S. 1748, Kids Online Safety Act as amended by the Blackburn substitute, as modified.

S. 4199, Youth AI Privacy Act as amended by the Markey substitute, as modified, Cruz 1, as modified, Budd 1, Lummis 1, and Lummis 2.

S. 4407, CHATBOT Act as amended by the Cruz-Schatz-Curtis substitute, as modified, Kim 1, as modified, and Kim 2, as modified.

S. 5171, Children’s Artificial Intelligence Toy Safety Act of 2026 as amended by the Duckworth substitute, as modified.

Agreed to by roll call vote:

Coast Guard Promotions (PN 1174, PN 1175, PN 1176)

S. 737 SCREEN Act as amended by the Curtis substitute, as modified

• 15 Yeas, 13 Nays  
  Party-line vote
  

*While S. 737 received majority approval, a revote will be needed to comport with Senate rules on in-person attendance. 

Chairman Cruz’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, are as follows: 

“Today, the committee will vote on Coast Guard promotions and five bills to address issues of kids’ online safety. Online platforms offer children opportunities to learn, create, and communicate. But they can also expose children to grave harms.

“Almost all parents today struggle with permitting their children to use and benefit from new technology because the horror stories are real. The bills before us are meant to give parents more control, and assurance, that their vulnerable children won’t be exposed to the worst possible elements of social media and AI chatbots.

“Before I turn to today’s legislation, I want to take a moment to recognize the parent advocates here. As a father of two teenage girls, nothing is more important to me than knowing my daughters are protected from the dangers that exist online. Thank you for your tireless advocacy. Your work is making the internet a safer place for every family across the country.

“Our first bill, the SCREEN Act, introduced by Senator Lee with Senators Banks and Curtis, would protect children from explicit pornography by requiring such websites to identify and block access to minors. A substantially similar bill passed the House with bipartisan support, and the Supreme Court upheld a similar Texas age-verification law last year.

“The second bill, Senator Blackburn’s Kids Online Safety Act, introduced with Senator Blumenthal, would set guardrails for online platforms used by minors, including social media, online video games, messaging apps, and video streamers. With 75 cosponsors, many of whom are on this committee, and a 91-to-3 Senate vote last Congress, KOSA represents a major effort to protect children online.

“Turning to artificial intelligence, the CHATBOT Act, which I introduced with Senators Schatz, Schiff, and Curtis, would put parents in charge of how their children use AI chatbots. The bill would require family accounts that ensure parents can oversee their child’s activity. It would require parental consent before a teen could create an account and place the most protective design settings on teen accounts by default. It would also require AI companies to make reasonable efforts at stopping chatbots from presenting obscene material or facilitating suicidal ideation to minors. AI companies would be required to refer suicidal children and teens to the appropriate crisis resources and, when a child or teen is connected to a family account, notify their parents.

“Senator Markey’s Youth AI Privacy Act would help ensure that minors can benefit from AI chatbots without sacrificing their privacy or being shaped by systems that retain too much information about them. The bill would prohibit advertising to minors on chatbots and address how long a chatbot may retain and use memory from a minor’s interactions. These limits would help prevent chatbots from accumulating sensitive information about children.

“Lastly, we have the Children’s Artificial Intelligence Toy Safety Act, introduced by Senators Duckworth and Murkowski. The bill directs the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to conduct a study on the risks of injury to children from AI-enabled toys. It requires the Federal Trade Commission and the Consumer Product Safety Commission to create a joint action plan with recommendations for legislation, regulations, guidelines, standards, and education relating to the sale and marketing of AI-enabled toys.

“Before I conclude, I want to recognize a few exceptional staff members whose dedication often goes unnoticed. First, Stephanie Lieu, who has served as a staff assistant on the Commerce Committee for 23 years. She has worked alongside nearly every Republican and Democrat staff member to serve on this committee. Stephanie has become a familiar face throughout the Capitol complex and a trusted friend to so many. Just yesterday, Senator Cantwell and I had the privilege of recognizing her 20 years of Senate service – a remarkable milestone that reflects unwavering dedication to this committee and the institution she serves. Congratulations, Stephanie. 

“I also want to recognize Lila Helms, the Minority Staff Director. Her leadership has helped this committee advance numerous bipartisan reauthorization bills this Congress, including the Weather Act and NASA authorization. We’ve also worked together on legislation addressing critical issues like aviation safety and college sports. Lila, I’ve especially enjoyed getting to know you over the past several months as we’ve worked together on the Protect College Sports Act. Thank you for your partnership, and congratulations on 30 years of federal service.

“Lastly, I’d like to recognize Paul Wasik, Deputy Policy Director for Surface Transportation. Today is Paul’s last day on my staff after 13 years of dedicated service in the Senate. Throughout his tenure, he has been instrumental in shepherding key priorities, including PHMSA reauthorization and legislation affecting international bridges in Texas. Paul, your expertise, steady leadership, and deep institutional knowledge have been invaluable – not only to my office, but to this committee as well. You will be greatly missed, and I wish you nothing but success in your next chapter.”

###