In committee
SCREEN Act
Commercial websites that host or provide sexually explicit material will be required to use technical age verification to block minors from accessing their platforms. Visitors will have to prove they are adults through an active verification method rather than simply checking a confirmation box, including when browsing through a virtual private network (VPN). Platforms that fail to check ages or fail to securely handle and promptly delete user verification data face financial penalties enforced by the Federal Trade Commission.
People affected—not determinable from the text provided
Fiscal magnitude—no CBO estimate published
Reach70provisional · pending reviewrigor: heuristic llm
What this bill touches.
Market protections+50Big-tech & platforms+60Personal data & privacy+45Online speech+55
Who it helps · who it burdens.
Who it helps
- MinorsGain statutory protection from exposure to online pornography, obscenity, and other content defined as harmful to minors on covered commercial platforms (Sec. 2(b), Sec. 4(a)).
Who it burdens
- Commercial online platforms hosting content harmful to minorsMust adopt and utilize age-verification measures to prevent minors from accessing harmful content, verify U.S. and VPN IP traffic, secure and limit retention of user verification data, undergo FTC audits, and face FTC enforcement penalties for noncompliance (Sec. 4, Sec. 6, Sec. 7).
- Adult users of covered online platformsSubjected to mandatory age-verification checks and processing of their verification data (including via U.S. IP addresses and VPNs) to access covered platforms (Sec. 4(b), Sec. 4(f)).
- Federal Trade CommissionRequired to consult with computer science, child safety, and privacy experts, publish compliance guidance within 180 days, conduct regular audits of covered platforms, and enforce age-verification rules as unfair or deceptive acts or practices (Sec. 5, Sec. 6, Sec. 7).
- Government Accountability OfficeMust study and submit a report to Congress within two years of the compliance date on the effectiveness, compliance rates, data security, and societal impacts of age-verification mandates (Sec. 8).