16 & Up Social Media Act
United StatesHigh threat- Introduced
- Passed House
- Passed Senate
- Became Law
Stage 1 of 4: Introduced
Would exclude under-16s from covered social platforms and pressure services to determine users' ages, threatening anonymous participation and lawful speech.
Latest update
Introduced as H.R. 10337 and referred to the House Energy and Commerce Committee
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This bill is still moving, so there's still time to push back.
Take action on this issueContact LawmakersWhat it does
H.R. 10337 bars covered platforms from allowing accounts for people they know or should have known are under 16. Coverage requires searchable, followable user identifiers, a primary purpose of sharing user-generated content, engagement design features, and use of personal information for advertising, marketing, or recommendations. It requires identification of known underage accounts within 60 days of enactment, notification within 180 days, and termination within 30 days after notification. It provides data deletion and export rights and an appeal decided within five days, with restrictions on appeal data. Enforcement lies with the FTC and state authorities. Unless otherwise specified, Section 2 takes effect one year after enactment.
What’s at stake
The definition of knowledge includes what a platform should have known. That creates legal pressure to infer or verify age and a risk that adults must provide evidence to regain accounts incorrectly classified as underage. The text does not expressly require government ID from every user, but its liability standard encourages age-assurance infrastructure and defensive account removal. Under-16 users would lose lawful opportunities to speak and participate on covered services.
Our take
We oppose making participation in digital life depend on proving an acceptable age. Restrictions on appeal data and rights to export information do not undo the exclusion of young people or the pressure to classify everyone else. Platforms should reduce harmful data collection rather than face incentives to collect or infer more personal information to police access.
Timeline
Introduced as H.R. 10337 and referred to the House Energy and Commerce CommitteeLatest
Sponsor
Erin Houchin (R-IN)
Cosponsors (1)
Jake Auchincloss (D-MA)
Committee
Energy and Commerce Committee
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