One of the leading voices behind the legislation is Rep. Mary Miller (R-Ill.), who introduced the age-verification measure known as the Shielding Children’s Retinas from Egregious Exposure on the Net Act, better known as the SCREEN Act.
Speaking with The Daily Signal, Miller warned that lawmakers face an urgent crisis involving children’s online exposure to sexually explicit material.
“To use figurative language, the house is on fire,” Miller told the Daily Signal.
Under Miller’s proposal, pornography websites and any online platform hosting sexually explicit material deemed harmful to minors would be required to implement age-verification technology before allowing users to gain access.
Backers argue the measure simply places online pornography behind the same safeguards already required for numerous adult-only products and services.
Miller said parents face an impossible challenge when explicit material is only a few clicks away for curious children.
“Sadly, the average age that our children are accessing pornography on the internet is 11, and by the time our children turn 18, 80% of them have access to pornography,” Miller said.
She added that while parents continue making every effort to monitor internet use, technology has dramatically changed the landscape.
“Parents are doing their best, but the truth is, with a few clicks of a button, kids can access this filth.”
The Illinois Republican also pointed to studies suggesting that early exposure to pornography is associated with anxiety, depression, risky sexual behavior, and other long-term developmental concerns.
Miller argued that age verification should not be viewed as controversial because similar requirements already exist across numerous industries.
“We require age identification for children to access other things, tobacco, alcohol, firearms, casinos, any kind of adult entertainment, you have to prove your age,” Miller said.
She emphasized that her legislation places responsibility on pornography companies—not families—to verify a user’s age before granting access.
“So that’s all this bill does, is it requires the pornography companies to make the user prove their age.”
Although the House included the SCREEN Act in its sweeping online safety package, the proposal has yet to be incorporated into the Senate’s version of the legislation.
Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) has introduced companion legislation in the upper chamber, but Senate leaders have not folded it into their broader Kids Online Safety Act.
That Senate legislation, sponsored by Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), has been introduced several times since 2024 but has repeatedly failed to reach the president’s desk.
Differences between the House and Senate versions remain significant.
Last week, Blumenthal suggested the House package faces steep odds in the upper chamber, declaring that the House version would be “dead in the Senate.”
Even so, Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-Texas) has indicated negotiations remain ongoing, leaving open the possibility that lawmakers could eventually reach a compromise.
According to lawmakers involved in the discussions, Blackburn has also been working closely with the White House, particularly on provisions addressing artificial intelligence and its impact on children online.
While House Republicans have highlighted the SCREEN Act as one of the most important elements of their package, Senate supporters continue pushing another provision they believe is essential.
Known as the “duty of care” requirement, the Senate proposal would require social media companies, messaging apps, and online gaming platforms to take reasonable steps to shield minors from harmful material, addictive platform features, and other digital risks.
The legislation would authorize the Federal Trade Commission to enforce those standards.
Supporters argue the proposal would strengthen privacy protections for young users, reduce unnecessary data collection, and require companies to examine recommendation algorithms that critics say may contribute to cyberbullying, social media addiction, and worsening mental health among children.
Despite ongoing disagreements over the final shape of the legislation, both the House and Senate continue negotiating as public concern over children’s online safety grows.
The House has officially transmitted the KIDS Act to the Senate, where lawmakers will now work to reconcile the competing versions before any final vote can take place.
Miller remains optimistic that the age-verification requirement will ultimately become law, even if it is removed from the broader legislative package during negotiations.
“I think it will stand alone as a bill to be passed,” Miller said, calling the legislation a “must-pass,” The Daily Signal reported.
Whether Congress can bridge the remaining policy differences remains uncertain. Nevertheless, bipartisan concern over children’s exposure to harmful online content continues to build, increasing pressure on lawmakers to deliver stronger protections for America’s youngest internet users.
