Cybersecurity Policy Report, Senate Commerce to Mark Up KOSA, Other Children’s Online Protection Bills, (Jul 31, 2026)

By Lynn Stanton

The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee has scheduled a markup next week to consider five bills related to children’s safety and privacy with respect to online activities and the use of AI (artificial intelligence) and connected devices.

Specifically, the committee plans to look at the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) (S 1748), which was reintroduced last year by Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R., Tenn.) and Richard Blumenthal (D., Conn.) and which would impose a “duty of care” on social media platforms to act in the best interests of minor users; Sen. Ed Markey’s (D., Mass.) Youth AI Privacy Act (S 4199) which would, among other things, bar the use of minor users’ personal data to generate or personalize responses; the Children’s Health, Advancement, Trust, Boundaries, and Oversight in Technology (CHATBOT) Act (S 4407), which was introduced by committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R., Texas) and Sen. Brian Schatz (D., Hawaii); and the Children’s Artificial Intelligence Toy Safety Act of 2026 (S 5171), which was introduced by Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D., Ill.) and Lisa Murkowski (R., Alaska).

The hearing is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. EDT on Wednesday in Room 253 of the Russell Senate Office Building and will be streamed live from the committee’s website.

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