Kids act would require age checks to get online

Congress is preparing to vote on the KIDS Act, a sweeping package that includes the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) and other internet regulations designed to protect minors online. Although supporters claim the bill doesn't require age verification, its provisions—which impose obligations whenever platforms "know or should have known" a user is a minor—will effectively pressure companies to implement age-checking systems, creating privacy risks and relying on error-prone facial recognition and age-estimation technologies. Critics argue the bill prioritizes age surveillance over privacy and free expression while disproportionately failing for people of color, people with disabilities, and transgender and nonbinary individuals.