PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Congressional Research Service
No official summary is available in the imported record yet.
People & committees
Rep. Houchin, Erin [R-IN-9] · R–IN
Legislative record
A procedural vote is different from passage. Passage in one chamber does not establish enactment. Explore the glossary.
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We also preserved the text version used in the PlainBill explanation below.
No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Sep 22, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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PlainBill explanation
Based on the full Introduced in House · 2026-09-10 text. This explanation has not received human editorial review. This overview describes the proposal’s major provisions; it does not establish what its real-world effects would be.
The proposal would bar people under 16 from having accounts on internet platforms that meet its social-media criteria when the platform knows or should know their age. Platforms would have to close affected accounts, delete personal data subject to a limited right to obtain a copy, and offer age-determination appeals. The Federal Trade Commission and states could enforce the requirements. These are proposed changes, not established enacted law.
A covered platform may not allow an individual to create or maintain an account or profile on the covered platform if the covered platform knows that the individual is a covered user.
The term covered user means an individual under the age of 16.
The term know or knows means to know or should have known.
Subject to subparagraph (B), upon termination of an existing account or profile of a user pursuant to paragraph (2), a covered platform shall immediately delete all personal data collected from the user or submitted by the user to the covered platform.
a covered platform shall implement a review process to allow a user to appeal the determination of the covered platform that the user is a covered user.
The Commission shall enforce this section in the same manner, by the same means, and with the same jurisdiction, powers, and duties as though all applicable terms and provisions of the Federal Trade Commission Act (15 U.S.C. 41 et seq.) were incorporated into and made a part of this Act.
the State, as parens patriae, may bring a civil action on behalf of the residents of the State
2026-09-10: Introduced in House
Section 1 would name the bill the “16 & Up Social Media Act.”
This Act may be cited as the 16 & Up Social Media Act.
Coverage would require an internet-connected website, software, application, or service to meet all five conditions: public consumer access; searchable user identifiers that others can follow or similarly access; a primary purpose of sharing and accessing user-created content; an engagement-promoting design feature; and use of personal information for advertising, marketing, or content recommendations.
The term covered platform means a platform that is a website, software, application, or electronic service connected to the internet that meets the following requirements: (A) Is publicly available for use by consumers. (B) Enables the creation of a username or user identifier— (i) that is searchable on the platform by other users through a function made available by the platform; and (ii) that can be followed by or is similarly accessible to other users of the platform. (C) As the primary purpose of the platform, facilitates the sharing and access to user-generated content through text, images, video, audio, or any other interactive medium. (D) Uses a design feature to promote user engagement on the platform. (E) Uses the personal information of the user to advertise, market, or make content recommendations.
Relevant design features would include features that encourage or increase under-16 users’ frequency of use or time spent. Examples include endless scrolling, automatic playback, usage-based rewards and badges, notifications, appearance-altering filters, and personalized recommendations. The bill also says coverage must be based on design-feature use rather than hosted content or another basis.
The term design feature— (A) means any feature or component of a covered platform that encourages an increase in or increases the frequency of use or time spent by a user who is a covered user with respect to such covered platform; and (B) includes— (i) infinite scrolling or auto play; (ii) rewards or incentives based on frequency of use or time spent; (iii) notifications and push alerts; (iv) badges or other visual award symbols based on frequency of use or time spent; (v) appearance altering filters; and (vi) personalized recommendation systems.
Nothing in this Act shall be construed to determine that a platform shall be considered a covered platform based on the content hosted on the platform, or on any basis other than the platform’s use of a design feature.
A personalized recommendation system would mean a fully automated system that uses personal information to suggest, promote, or rank content, including users, hashtags, and posts. Systems relying solely on language, city or town, or age would be excluded from that definition. “Fully automated” means outputs reach an under-16 user without platform review or alteration.
The term personalized recommendation system— (A) means a fully automated system used to suggest, promote, or rank content, including other users, hashtags, and posts, based on the personal information of a user; and (B) does not include a fully automated system that suggests, promotes, or ranks content based solely on the language, city or town, or age of a user.
The term fully automated system means an algorithm the final outputs of which are, once computed, displayed directly to a covered user without review or alteration by a covered platform.
The term covered user means an individual under the age of 16.
Covered platforms would have to identify existing accounts they know or should know belong to under-16 users within 60 days after enactment. They would have to notify those users of closure within 180 days after enactment and close each account within 30 days after its notice.
A covered platform shall— (A) not later than 60 days after the date of the enactment of this section, identify any account or profile of a user on the covered platform that the covered platform knows is a covered user; (B) not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this section, notify any user of an account or profile identified under subparagraph (A) that the covered platform will terminate the account or profile of the user; and (C) not later than 30 days after the date on which a user is notified pursuant to subparagraph (B), terminate the account or profile of the user.
The term know or knows means to know or should have known.
The term covered user means an individual under the age of 16.
When closing an existing account under these rules, a platform would have to immediately delete personal data collected from or submitted by the user, subject to the data-copy provision. The bill adopts the meaning of “personal information” from the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998.
Subject to subparagraph (B), upon termination of an existing account or profile of a user pursuant to paragraph (2), a covered platform shall immediately delete all personal data collected from the user or submitted by the user to the covered platform.
The term personal data has the meaning given the term personal information in section 1302 of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 (15 U.S.C. 6501).
Users whose existing accounts were closed could request a copy of their data during the 90 days after closure, to the extent technically feasible and consistent with licensing agreements. Platforms would have to provide it within 45 days of a request, both in understandable form and in an organized, portable format computers can read.
To the extent technically feasible and not in violation of any licensing agreement, a covered platform shall allow the user of an existing account or profile that the covered platform has terminated pursuant to paragraph (2), from the date such termination occurs to the date that is 90 days after such date, to request, and shall provide to such user upon such request, a copy of the personal data collected from the user or submitted by the user to the covered platform both— (i) in a manner that is readable and which a reasonable person can understand; and (ii) in a portable, structured, and machine-readable format.
A covered platform shall fulfill a request under subparagraph (B) not later than 45 days after the date on which such request is made to the covered platform.
Platforms would have to establish a clear, accessible age-determination appeal process within 60 days after enactment and before implementing the existing-account closure provisions. They would have to review submitted evidence and decide each appeal within five days.
Not later than 60 days after the date of the enactment of this section, and prior to implementation of paragraph (2), a covered platform shall implement a review process to allow a user to appeal the determination of the covered platform that the user is a covered user.
(A) ensure that the review process is clear and accessible; (B) review any evidence submitted by the user and make a determination regarding the appeal not later than 5 days after the date on which the appeal is submitted;
For appeals, platforms could require only information strictly necessary to verify age. They could use submitted evidence only to evaluate the appeal and determine whether the user is under 16, and could not retain, sell, transfer, or otherwise use personal data collected through that process.
(C) limit the personal data or evidence required of the user to what is strictly necessary to verify the age of the user; and (D) not use any personal data or evidence submitted during the review process for any purpose other than evaluating the legitimacy of the appeal and determining whether the user is a covered user, and not retain, sell, transfer, or otherwise use any personal data collected as part of such process.
The term covered user means an individual under the age of 16.
The Federal Trade Commission would enforce the section using its existing statutory powers. Violations would be treated as violations of a federal rule on unfair or deceptive practices, with the penalties, privileges, and immunities provided by the Federal Trade Commission Act.
The term Commission means the Federal Trade Commission.
A violation of this section shall be treated as a violation of a regulation under section 18(a)(1)(B) of the Federal Trade Commission Act (15 U.S.C. 57a(a)(1)(B)) regarding unfair or deceptive acts or practices.
The Commission shall enforce this section in the same manner, by the same means, and with the same jurisdiction, powers, and duties as though all applicable terms and provisions of the Federal Trade Commission Act (15 U.S.C. 41 et seq.) were incorporated into and made a part of this Act. Any person who violates this section shall be subject to the penalties and entitled to the privileges and immunities provided in the Federal Trade Commission Act.
A state could sue on behalf of its residents in an appropriate state or federal court when a state attorney general, official, or agency has reason to believe a violation has harmed or threatens residents’ interests. It could seek an order stopping the practice, compliance, compensation for residents, or other appropriate court relief.
In any case in which the attorney general of a State, or an official or agency of a State, has reason to believe that an interest of the residents of such State has been or is threatened or adversely affected by an act or practice in violation of this section, the State, as parens patriae, may bring a civil action on behalf of the residents of the State in an appropriate State court or an appropriate district court of the United States to— (A) enjoin such act or practice; (B) enforce compliance with this section; (C) obtain damages, restitution, or other compensation on behalf of residents of the State; or (D) obtain such other legal and equitable relief as the court may consider to be appropriate.
States would have to give the Federal Trade Commission written notice and a copy of the complaint before suing, or immediately upon filing if advance notice was not feasible. The commission could join the case, be heard on all matters, and seek appeals. State officials would retain their state-law investigative powers.
Before filing an action under this subsection, the attorney general, official, or agency of the State involved shall provide to the Commission a written notice of such action and a copy of the complaint for such action. If the attorney general, official, or agency determines that it is not feasible to provide the notice described in this paragraph before the filing of the action, the attorney general, official, or agency shall provide written notice of the action and a copy of the complaint to the Commission immediately upon the filing of the action.
On receiving notice under paragraph (2) of an action under this subsection, the Commission shall have the right— (i) to intervene in the action; (ii) upon so intervening, to be heard on all matters arising therein; and (iii) to file petitions for appeal.
For purposes of bringing a civil action under this subsection, nothing in this Act shall be construed to prevent an attorney general, official, or agency of a State from exercising the powers conferred on the attorney general, official, or agency by the laws of such State to conduct investigations, administer oaths and affirmations, or compel the attendance of witnesses or the production of documentary and other evidence.
While a civil enforcement case brought by the Federal Trade Commission or U.S. Attorney General was pending, states could not bring a case under this provision against the same defendants for violations alleged in the federal complaint.
If the Commission or the Attorney General of the United States has instituted a civil action for violation of this Act (referred to in this subparagraph as the Federal action), no State attorney general, official, or agency may bring an action under this subsection during the pendency of the Federal action against any defendant named in the complaint in the Federal action for any violation of this Act alleged in such complaint.
The proposal would override state and local rules only where they conflict with it. It would preserve rules concerning contracts, civil wrongs, and product liability, as well as state or local rules giving under-16 users greater protection.
The provisions of this Act shall preempt any law, rule, requirement, or regulation of a State, or a political subdivision of a State, only to the extent that such law, rule, requirement, or regulation conflicts with a provision of this Act.
Notwithstanding paragraph (1), nothing in this Act may be construed— (A) to preempt any law, rule, requirement, or regulation of a State, or political subdivision of a State, with respect to contract, tort, or product liability; or (B) to prohibit a State, or a political subdivision of a State, from enacting or enforcing any law, rule, requirement, or regulation that provides greater protection to covered users than the protection provided by the provisions of this Act.
The term covered user means an individual under the age of 16.
Unless a provision specifies otherwise, Section 2 would take effect one year after enactment. The account-identification, notification, closure, and appeal requirements specify their own deadlines.
Unless otherwise specified, this section shall take effect on the date that is 1 year after the date of enactment of this section.
(A) not later than 60 days after the date of the enactment of this section, identify any account or profile of a user on the covered platform that the covered platform knows is a covered user; (B) not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this section, notify any user of an account or profile identified under subparagraph (A) that the covered platform will terminate the account or profile of the user; and (C) not later than 30 days after the date on which a user is notified pursuant to subparagraph (B), terminate the account or profile of the user.
Not later than 60 days after the date of the enactment of this section, and prior to implementation of paragraph (2), a covered platform shall implement a review process to allow a user to appeal the determination of the covered platform that the user is a covered user.
The supplied actions snapshot, updated September 22, 2026, records introduction in the House and referral to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce on September 10, 2026. It does not establish subsequent legislative action or enactment.
Source snapshot updated 2026-09-22T22:07:35Z. 2026-09-10: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. 2026-09-10: Introduced in House 2026-09-10: Introduced in House
A closer look
Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2026-09-10. These findings describe provisions and who may benefit; they are not judgments of waste, corruption, or motive.
This review covers the supplied bill text. “None identified” does not rule out provisions in later versions or accompanying reports and disclosures.
Provisions outside the bill’s main subject, or policy changes attached to appropriations.
None identified in the reviewed text
No unrelated provision or policy change attached to appropriations was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Spending directed to particular recipients or places outside ordinary competitive or formula-based allocation.
None identified in the reviewed text
No congressionally directed spending for particular recipients or places was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish absence in accompanying materials.
Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.
None identified in the reviewed text
No materially narrow preferential benefit was identified in the complete supplied introduced text under the stated criteria. The coverage boundaries and generally applicable user protections do not by themselves establish such a benefit. This conclusion does not extend to other versions or accompanying materials.
Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: Sep 22, 2026. How PlainBill uses AI