SPY Kids Act
Summary
What This Bill Does
The SPY Kids Act defines covered platforms as public internet services or apps that enable searchable user identifiers, user-generated content, engagement-promoting design features, and use personal information for advertising, marketing, or content recommendations. It defines children as under 13 and teens as over 13 and under 17. Covered platforms may not conduct market or product-focused research on users or visitors they know are children, and may conduct such research on teens only with verifiable parental consent. The bill preserves measurement of advertising or content performance, reach, or frequency. Violations are enforced by the FTC as unfair or deceptive acts or practices, State attorneys general and agencies can sue with notice to the FTC, COPPA is preserved, actions conflicting with FTC rulemaking limits are not authorized, and related State laws are preempted.
Who Benefits and How
Children under 13 benefit from a ban on covered-platform market or product research performed on them. Teens benefit because platforms need verifiable parental consent before conducting such research. Parents gain consent rights over teen research. FTC and State attorneys general gain enforcement authority against covered platforms.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Covered platforms must identify child and teen users, stop child-focused market and product research, obtain parental consent for teen research, and preserve permitted measurement boundaries. The FTC and State enforcement offices must investigate violations and coordinate litigation. State legislatures and regulators lose authority to maintain related State rules because of preemption.
Key Provisions
- Defines covered platforms, design features, children, teens, parents, personal information, and verifiable parental consent.
- Prohibits covered platforms from conducting market or product-focused research on known children.
- Requires verifiable parental consent before covered platforms conduct market or product-focused research on known teens.
- Authorizes FTC and State attorney general enforcement for violations.
- Preserves COPPA and preempts State and local laws related to the Act.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Restricts market research on children and teens by covered platforms, requires FTC and State enforcement, preserves COPPA and encryption-adjacent safeguards, and preempts related State laws.
Key Policy Areas
Technology, Children, Consumer Protection
Primary Purpose
Restricts market research on children and teens by covered platforms, requires FTC and State enforcement, preserves COPPA and encryption-adjacent safeguards, and preempts related State laws.
Policy Domains
Substantive provisions
Identified Gains
- Children under age 13 using covered platforms
- Teens using covered platforms
- Parents of teen platform users
- Federal Trade Commission
- State attorneys general
Identified Costs
- Covered online platforms
- Platform advertising research teams
- State legislatures
- State consumer protection agencies
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeForwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee in the Nature of …
Subcommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
Mrs. Miller-Meeks introduced the following bill; which was referred to …
Referred to the Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade.
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Introduced in House
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Children under age 13 using covered platforms, Parents of teen platform users, Teens using covered platforms
Covered online platforms, Platform advertising research teams
Covered online platforms faces effects in multiple directions
Federal Trade Commission
Federal Trade Commission faces effects in multiple directions
State attorneys general, State legislatures
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology