Oppose the KIDS Act—Protect Privacy and Civil Rights Online

I urge you to oppose the KIDS Act, which Congress is voting on this week. While supporters claim the bill doesn't require age verification, the legislation actually pressures platforms to check everyone's age—creating serious privacy and civil rights risks. The bill imposes obligations whenever a platform "knows or should have known" a user is under 17—a vague standard that creates legal liability. To protect themselves, companies won't simply trust user claims. They'll demand government-issued IDs, conduct facial scans, or use age-estimation systems to identify teenagers across their entire platforms. This approach has significant problems. Age-estimation technology frequently fails for people of color, people with disabilities, and trans and nonbinary people—the very groups most vulnerable to surveillance. Additionally, adults will need to prove their age to use the internet, creating unnecessary data collection that makes everyone less private. The bill also contains contradictions. Its authors include a disclaimer stating age verification isn't required, yet simultaneously impose obligations that depend on knowing users' ages. This gap guarantees legal uncertainty that will push platforms toward the most invasive verification methods available. We should protect children online without creating an age-checkpoint internet that requires everyone to surrender sensitive personal information. The KIDS Act's approach sacrifices privacy and free expression for all users to address legitimate concerns about youth safety. Please vote no.