Protecting Privacy and Free Speech: Please Oppose the KIDS Act

I'm writing to ask you to vote against the KIDS Act when it comes before the Senate. On paper, the bill claims to protect children online. In practice, it would reshape the internet for everyone by turning age gates into a requirement for basically every website and app. That's the central problem both the EFF and Reclaim the Net have flagged, and it's why I think this legislation should be stopped. The core mechanism relies on age verification across the board. To comply, platforms would need to collect identifying information or even biometric data from all users just to determine whether someone is under 17. There's no way around this: verifying age means gathering personal data. For millions of people who browse anonymously, or for minors who rely on that anonymity to seek help or explore sensitive topics, that barrier is not just inconvenient—it's dangerous. Then there's the government-directed moderation piece. The bill would impose federal standards on how platforms manage speech and private communications. That puts Washington in charge of design choices that affect everyday communication, from messaging apps to chatbots. Small startups and independent services won't have the legal resources to fight back if regulators decide they're not compliant. They'll either shut down or conform to whatever definition of "safe" gets imposed from above. Critics point out that this approach doesn't actually target the real predators exploiting children online. It shifts the burden onto ordinary users and platforms, creating surveillance infrastructure in the process. Previous attempts at similar age-verification schemes have already faced First Amendment challenges in court, and many were struck down for burdening adults' access to lawful speech. I understand the impulse to respond to concerns about youth mental health and online safety. But this bill trades privacy and free expression for the appearance of action. Please reject the KIDS Act and look for solutions that actually protect kids without dismantling the open internet for everyone else.