Kids online safety package clears House, drawing warnings from digital rights and tech groups

The House passed a bipartisan package of children’s online safety bills in a 267-117 vote Monday, advancing legislation that supporters say would better protect children online but critics warn could threaten privacy and free expression. The bipartisan Kids Internet and Digital Safety (KIDS) Act, championed by its sponsors as a way to protect children online and hold major technology companies accountable, would require new safety features and parental controls on online platforms, restrict the use of minors’ data for targeted advertising, require age verification for pornography websites and establish new rules governing AI chatbots and online games. “This is a...