Parents must approve before social media collects kids' data.
H.R. 10207 — GUARDIAN Act · Filed by Erin Houchin (R-IN) · Introduced Sep 1, 2026 · Referred to committee
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What it does
Social media platforms must get a parent's permission first. They collect or use personal data from children under 16 only with that consent. Parents can download their child's data. Parents can ask the platform to delete it when the child turns 16. Parents can stop the platform from using the data at any time. The FTC and state attorneys general can enforce the rule.
Who it affects
Parents and children under 16 gain control over data collection. Social media platforms must follow new rules about children's personal information.
One thing to notice
Platforms may collect identity documents or biometric data from parents to verify age. This could create new privacy risks during the verification process. States can make stricter rules than the federal law. This could create different requirements in different states.
From the analysis of the bill text, linked under Primary records below.
Where it stands
- Sep 1, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Sep 1, 2026 — Referred to House Committee on Energy and Commerce · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
Words to know
- personal data — Information about a person, such as name, location, or interests.
- FTC — The Federal Trade Commission, a government agency that enforces consumer protection laws.
- state attorneys general — The top law officers in each state who can sue on behalf of residents.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (13,801 characters) on Sep 5, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 14,206 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
As of — page rendered 2026-09-17.
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