On June 22, 2026, House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Brett Guthrie and Ranking Member Frank Pallone announced a bipartisan agreement on the Kids Internet and Digital Safety Act, or KIDS Act. According to the committee announcement, the package includes portions of several children’s online safety bills, including the SCREEN Act.
For the adult-entertainment industry, the SCREEN Act is the key issue. Prior versions of the SCREEN Act focused on requiring certain websites that make adult material available online to use age-verification technology to prevent minors from accessing material harmful to minors.
The committee has not yet released the final agreed text. As a result, important details remain unknown, including the scope of covered platforms, the operative age-verification standard, privacy requirements, enforcement mechanisms, effective dates, safe harbors, and whether the federal bill would preempt or coexist with state age-verification laws.
Because the agreed bill text has not yet been released, the announcement does not create any immediate compliance obligation. But the inclusion of the SCREEN Act makes this a significant development for adult-content platforms and the vendors that support them.
The key issues will be whether the final bill:
- applies to adult websites, creator platforms, cam sites, clip stores, adult social networks, AI adult-chat services, and similar platforms;
- requires true age verification rather than self-certification age gates;
- permits reliance on third-party age-verification vendors;
- restricts the collection, retention, disclosure, or reuse of age-verification data;
- preempts or coexists with existing state age-verification laws; and
- provides a reasonable implementation period.
No immediate action is required based on the announcement alone. The practical impact will depend on the final bill text, including who is covered, what form of age verification is required, how verification data may be handled, and whether the federal law would preempt existing state age-verification laws.
The bottom line: the bipartisan KIDS Act agreement is not law, but it signals renewed federal momentum for adult-content age verification. The final text should be reviewed closely once released.
For assistance with age verification compliance, contact Silverstein Legal.
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