119-HR-6488 Journalist Public Summary

Document 119-HR-6488: Public Summary

Headline Summary: A federal bill to ban social‑media accounts for under‑16s on certain platforms, force deletion of their data, and enforce through the FTC and state attorneys general. [1]Congress.gov — Text - H.R.6488 - 119th Congress (2025-2026): RESET Act

What It Does: The RESET Act would bar a “covered platform” from letting someone it knows is under 16 create or keep an account; require platforms to find known minor accounts within 60 days of enactment, notify within 180 days, and terminate within 30 days of notice; delete the minor’s personal data, while letting the user request a copy for 90 days; enforce via the FTC and state attorneys general; broadly preempt conflicting state laws related to this section; and take effect one year after enactment. It defines “minor” as under 16 and adopts existing federal definitions for “personal data” and “covered platform.” [1]Congress.gov — Text - H.R.6488 - 119th Congress (2025-2026): RESET Act

• Sponsor: Rep. Erin Houchin (R‑IN). [2]Congress.gov — H.R.6488 - 119th Congress (2025-2026): RESET Act – Overview and…
• Backers’ case: Reduce exploitation and mental‑health harms by limiting minors’ exposure to social‑media features and by purging collected data. (General rationale offered by youth‑online‑safety proponents.)
• Some advocates also favor federal rules to replace today’s state‑by‑state patchwork, though preemption language in kids’ online‑safety efforts has been controversial. [3]The Verge — A leading kids safety bill has been poison pilled, supporters say

Who’s For It:

• Civil‑liberties and tech‑industry groups have fought similar state bans as unconstitutional; a federal judge blocked Florida’s under‑16 social‑media law on First Amendment grounds. [4]Reuters — Judge blocks Florida law banning social media accounts for children[5]Associated Press — Federal judge blocks Florida from enforcing social media ban…
• Critics warn that broad bans require age‑verification systems that raise privacy risks and may still miss bad actors; they also object to sweeping federal preemption that could override stronger state protections. [3]The Verge — A leading kids safety bill has been poison pilled, supporters say

Who’s Against It:

What’s Next: As of December 9, 2025, H.R. 6488 has been introduced and referred to the House Energy and Commerce Committee; no further action is listed yet. The next steps would typically be subcommittee review, full committee markup, and possible House floor consideration. [2]Congress.gov — H.R.6488 - 119th Congress (2025-2026): RESET Act – Overview and…