Kids Off Social Media Act

Key Points

• Social media companies would be banned from letting children under 13 create or keep accounts. If a platform finds out a user is under 13, it must shut down the account and delete all personal data. Users get 90 days to download a copy of their data before it is permanently erased.
• For teens ages 13 to 16, social media platforms could not use personal data to power recommendation algorithms that suggest videos, posts, or other content. Teens could still see posts in the order they were shared or find content they specifically searched for on their own.
• Schools that receive federal internet subsidies (E-Rate funding) would be required to block student access to social media on school networks and devices. Schools must certify they are monitoring and filtering social media, or they risk losing their federal broadband discounts.
• The FTC and state attorneys general would have the power to enforce the law by treating violations as unfair or deceptive trade practices. States could sue social media companies for damages on behalf of residents. The core provisions would take effect one year after the bill is signed into law.
• The bill does not require platforms to build age verification systems or collect new data about users' ages. Instead, enforcement depends on whether a platform "knows" a user is underage based on information it already has, protecting user privacy while still holding companies accountable.