Rebutting House E&C's "Fact" Sheets on Kids Safety & Age Verification Legislation

Ahead of Thursday's Kids Internet and Digital Safety (KIDS) legislative markup, House Energy & Commerce circulated two “Myth vs. Fact” handouts promoting its bill package and dismissing key concerns as overblown or “talking points.” LGBT Tech is responding. These claims gloss over how youth safety policy operates in practice, especially when it relies on blunt access restrictions and age-gating infrastructure.

Below, we share House E&C’s handouts alongside two LGBT Tech fact sheets responding directly to several of their key claims.

House E&C - Kids Safety Legislation.pdf

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LGBT Tech Rebuttal - Kids Safety Legislation.pdf

Download PDF • 87KB

House E&C - Age Verification Legislation.pdf

Download PDF • 80KB

LGBT Tech Rebuttal - Age Verification Legislation.pdf

Download PDF • 78KB

For many young people, online spaces are where they learn and find community. For LGBTQ+ youth and other marginalized youth, they can be a lifeline: a primary route to identity-affirming information and peer support when home, school, or local environments are unsafe or unwelcoming. Access is not a theoretical or overblown benefit. Its importance is reflected in the lived experience of young people.

The civil rights and safety risks raised by advocates are also not speculative. When legislation is built around broad gates and broad enforcement, the earliest and most acute impacts are often felt by communities already navigating heightened exposure and discrimination.