Sammy’s Law
House Committee Reviews Sammy's Law Requiring Big Social Media Platforms to Allow Parent-Approved Safety Apps
Stalled
No legislative action in over 90 days.
Legislative Progress
Key Points
- Big social media services would have to let parents (and teens 13+) connect approved safety apps to a child’s account to help manage messages, content, and settings.
- Covered platforms are very large services that allow kids and have social sharing features, with over 100 million monthly users worldwide or over $1 billion a year in revenue.
- Platforms would have to offer real-time access and allow secure data transfers at least once per hour, so safety tools can flag problems quickly.
- Safety app companies would have to register with the Federal Trade Commission, pass security checks, keep kids’ data stored in the U.S., and delete most of it within 14 days.
- States generally could not make their own separate rules on this exact access requirement, creating one national standard enforced by the Federal Trade Commission.
Impact Analysis
Personal Impact
How this policy affects specific groups of people
Milestones
Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee by Voice Vote.
Subcommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
Referred to the Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade.
Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Introduced in House
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
Votes
No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.
Related News
3 articlesBipartisan bill would help parents to monitor kids' social media for harmful activity
Sammy's Law would require social media apps to allow access from third-party software that lets parents check children's online profiles and direct messages for signs of cyberbullying, illicit drug use and other online harms.
Sammy's Law of 2023: A Novel Approach to Protecting Children Online
Sammy’s Law opts for a different approach by requiring platforms to allow third-party safety software providers to access their application programming interfaces; these tools, the bill's proponents claim, would help parents better manage their children's online interactions.
New York governor signs bill requiring warning labels on addictive social media platforms
The SAFE Act is in addition to the New York Child Data Protection Act... Sammy's Law (H.R. 2657) was another focal point of the day. Broadly, Sammy's Law would require social media platforms to build and maintain real-time APIs allowing third-party safety software to plug directly into a teen's account.
Source Information
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
Sammy’s Law
Data Sources
Sponsor
Cosponsors
(17)Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.