Congress·In Committee·H.R. 6257

SMK Act of 2025

Congress Proposes Ban on Disappearing Messages for Minors and New Parental Controls for Social Media

7 months ago·View on Congress.gov·Read full text

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Stalled

No legislative action in over 90 days.

Legislative Progress

House

Senate

President

Law

Key Points

This bill would stop social media companies from letting kids under 17 use "disappearing" messages that delete themselves automatically. This is meant to help parents see what is being sent to children and prevent people from hiding harmful conversations.
Social media apps would have to give parents tools to manage who can message their children. Parents could see a list of approved contacts and would get a notification to approve or deny any new person who tries to send their child a private message.
For children under 13, private messaging would be turned off by default. A parent would have to give official permission and verify their identity before their child could start using direct messages on any social media platform.
App stores would be required to show clear warnings to parents before a child downloads an app that has private messaging features. This ensures parents know exactly what kind of communication tools are included in the apps their kids are using.
The Federal Trade Commission and state officials would have the power to fine companies that don't follow these rules. Most of these changes would start within one year of the bill becoming law.

Technology DigitalCivil Rights

Impact Analysis

Personal Impact

Social media companies — including smaller platforms that meet the bill's definition — would need to build and maintain new parental control systems, age verification processes, and notification tools. These compliance costs could be significant, especially for smaller or startup platforms that lack the engineering resources of major tech companies. Providers of app stores would also face new requirements to display warnings about messaging features.

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Milestones

3 milestones5 actions

Dec 11, 2025House

Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee by Voice Vote.

Dec 11, 2025House

Subcommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held

Nov 21, 2025House

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.

Nov 21, 2025House

Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Nov 21, 2025

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.

News

No related news coverage found for this legislation yet.

Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

SMK Act of 2025

Bill NumberHR 6257

Congress119th Congress

ChamberHouse of Representatives

Latest ActionForwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee by Voice Vote.

Data Sources

Congress.gov

Official legislative information

Read Full Bill Text

Sponsor

Cosponsors

(1)

D: 1

Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.