Dolly Molly Nanika 🦊🔮

As soon as the infrastructure is ready: all the flock cameras set up, all the data centers built, all the "age verification" technology implemented...

We are going to be in HELL.

Hopefully there's nobody out there who still think this is about our safety. If there is, you need to realize that the moment the infrastructure is ready, they are going to flip the script on us.

You suddenly won't be able to do or say ANYTHING that is not monitored.

i know a lot of people are going to hear the words "it passed through the senate" (as i've already heard it phrased in news articles, unfortunately) and panic. however, it has just passed through one step. this was not a full vote. this was a markup to get it out of committee. the full process it has to go through goes:

senate markup/committee -> senate floor -> house committee -> house floor -> president -> made into law.

its the same for bills that were introduced within the house, except it goes house -> senate instead of senate -> house.

on a bit of a happier note, the screen act failed to advance out of committee!

Thousands of you called, good job!! Your voice matters! 🩷 Be happy with me today. This is a huge win!

https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/119/s5090/text

opinions and a breakdown with possible solutions would be v much appreciated if you have the time and energy. 🙏 i hope the rest of the week is kind and gentle for you, you deserve some rest !

— lucy

⭐️🇺🇸S. 5090: Digital Age Assurance Act of 2026. This would apply to ALL STATES! 🇺🇸⭐️

Who started this bill?

Mr. Kim (for himself, Ms. Lummis, Mr. Schiff and Mr. Barrasso) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

Summary from the page:

To require operating system providers to require users to indicate their age and developers of applications, covered internet website operators, and browser providers to request a signal from operating system providers that indicates a user's age, and for other purposes.

Breakdown of the bill:

1) It makes operating systems verify your age

When you create or update your device account, you must provide your date of birth. The operating system (such as your phone or computer's OS) determines your age bracket.

2) It shares an age bracket with apps and certain websites

Instead of giving apps your birthday, the operating system sends only an age category: Under 13, 13–15, 16, and 17+. (I'm guessing you would give your birthday to the operating system or something like it says? What's to stop them to change this to ID or something?)

3) It requires parental links for minors

Users under 17 must have their account linked to a parent or legal guardian's account (with an exception for emancipated minors).

4) It limits how age data can be used

Companies can not sell age bracket data. They can not use it for targeted advertising, profiling, or combine it with other personal information.

5) It creates enforcement and penalties

The FTC and state attorneys general can enforce this law. Companies that violate it can face civil fines, with larger penalties if violations affect multiple minors.

Problems with this bill ⭐️🚩:

- So what is gonna stop a minor from making an 18+ account when they set up a device? (Most minors I know if they are old enough like teens set up their own devices.)

- Once the infrastructure exists, Congress or states could later expand what it is used for. (I do not trust the government. Today's voluntary age information could become mandatory government-ID verification later. They could literally request all your highly sensitive info one day. What is there to stop them if they implement this?)

- Adults will possibly not discuss sensitive topics if they think their age is being tracked. Minors will lose access to educational or support resources. Vulnerable groups will also lose access to needed resources or online platforms. Platforms may over-restrict content because they know a user is a minor.

- Operating system providers would still need to collect sensitive age information. (Your birthday is the most likely thing they would ask for, like they said if not ID, WHICH is still personal info!)

- Centralizing any information creates an attractive target for attackers. Any large database containing age related info increases data breaches. We have seen this in the past with Discord, Google, Meta, etc.

- This puts a huge burden on open-source software. It also would be costly for them to make. So how are they gonna fund a system like this? If they plan on using taxpayers money a BUNCH of people will have a problem with that!

- Minors can still access adult content through shared devices and they will definitely find ways around age restrictions like they already have.

This is also being considered on an individual state level. The same stuff happening in California, Colorado, and Illinois but this is on a NATIONWIDE level! SO check your state! Remember that these states are and will be sought after in lawsuits because: THEY ARE BREAKING MULTIPLE LAWS!

⭐️Solution: Contact your reps about these bills. If you see any petitions sign them. Protest this bill. Raising awareness is also SUPER IMPORTANT! ⭐️

Let's not forget an honorable mentions of Australia and Brazil, who are also leaning towards facist authoritarian regimes with these laws! 🇦🇺 🇧🇷

⭐️🇺🇸KIDS ACT AND KOSA UPDATE! 🇺🇸⭐️

BAD NEWS:

The Senate Commerce Committee voted to advance KOSA in the markup. The committee's approved version keeps the controversial duty of care provision intact, setting up a major legislative clash with the House of Representatives.

GOOD NEWS:

The Screen Act did not survive the markup! 🎊

You can read more information on Politico or watch the video on the Senate Commerce Committee site! It's only an hour it was very short! I was surprised.

In the article from Politico/Markup Marsha Blackburn (R) (She is for this bill) said this:

“The Senate cannot and will not accept the version that the House passed earlier. It is toothless, and it is a very pale imitation of the Senate version, and therefore, it is a pale imitation of big tech accountability,” Blackburn said during the committee markup.

(Marsha and crew for these laws GO GET DUNKED ON IN THE SENATE ! Also, this woman looks and sounds like such a Karen literally look up a picture of her. She looks like she calls the cops on her neighbors for having a bbq.😂)

Anyway, from what I watched, this is going to be a HUGE fight in the Senate. This thing is all over the place it's awful to even listen, too! I would LOVE to see them get laughed out of there!

California is getting sued for passing the same law on operating systems. Other states are also being sought after in these lawsuits, too. Illinois probably will be next. It violates multiple rights, especially the First Amendment.

I would "love" to see them try to enforce this. I know they will face pushback from developers. Developers say it's nearly impossible and hard to enforce these systems (especially with open source options). They would have to build this system from the ground up.

The worst they would be able to do is ask for your age like Google does for an account, for example. That is the simplest way that the developers would do this. (Update: Also, from reading the bill, HB5511 does not require any ID uploads, or so it says. It is saying OS manufacturers have to include a manual field that parents can use to flag their children's accounts. It outlaws sharing of account information with 3rd parties other than the specified flag. SO it might just be for parents to mark on the device when they are setting it up. This bill is all over the place! Such atrocious writing! It still violates multiple laws, though! This was my interpretation from what I read. Feel free to correct me if you read it.)

Tech giants also do not build separate regional operating systems, which means they would affect users even outside of these states, possibly even in other countries!

Some smaller open source software projects might choose to block access entirely from regions with strict age laws rather than build compliance systems because, like I said, they are not gonna build a whole other system.

If anything, it proves how stupid the governor of Illinois is and all of those other states. Very tech illiterate. We need to vote people like this out in our states!

Happening Wednesday, August 5, 2026  at 10:00 a.m. ET  

This will include “KOSA, Chair Cruz’s chatbots bill, the SCREEN Act (adult website age check), Markey’s Youth AI Privacy Act and more.”

call your representatives!

commerce.senate.gov

Thank you, @roxfox5 , for mentioning this!

They are not making an official vote to pass KOSA, The Kids Act, or any of that into law YET! I see a lot of people fearmongering that it is an official vote. It's NOT!

What is a markup, and what will they be doing at the Senate committee?

A markup is the process by which a US congressional committee or state legislative session debates, amends, and rewrites proposed legislation.

commerce.senate.gov

(Sorry it got cut off on the end! That is the end though of the list. There is nothing else after that!)

You can find this on the Senate Commerce Committee website. There will be a live video both on the site and YouTube like they usually do!

It was officially put on the calendar over this weekend. It took a long time for them to put it on there, so I wasn't sure if it was official or if they were still debating on a date/time.

⭐️🗣PLEASE CONTACT YOUR REPS, SIGN PETITIONS, PROTEST, AND RAISE AWARENESS!📞⭐️

Guess what?

Neglectful parents aren't going to stop being neglectful when their kids are locked out of the internet.

The parents that everyone bemoans when age verification is brought up aren't going to suddenly start watching their kids.

Same for helicopter parents. They aren't going to stop being helicopter parents and complaining about things they think their children shouldn't see. They're just going to go back to saying the same stuff about other things.

Age verification will not stop helicopter/controlling parents. Age verification will not stop neglectful parents. Age verification will not keep kids from 'seeing stuff they "shouldn't" see'.

It's just gonna lead to the same song and dance that's happened for ages, except this time kids aren't going to just....go to other spaces because (at least where I am) they don't got those.

It'll just lead to kids being more crafty or lead to them doing what the parents from when those 'have you seen your children today' advertisements were a thing did.

That is, go places they shouldn't. Do dangerous shit they shouldn't.

It'll also just lead to rising mental health issues and in some cases, children not being able to reach out for help/support systems.