# 119-hr-6257: SMK Act of 2025

119-hr-6257, SMK Act of 2025, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Dunn, Neal P. [R-FL-2] (R-FL); status in_committee; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-04-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-6257
- As of: 2026-04-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-6257
- Congress: 119
- Title: SMK Act of 2025
- Status: in_committee
- Introduced: 2025-11-21
- Sponsor: Rep. Dunn, Neal P. [R-FL-2] (R-FL)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Policy area: Commerce
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-04-21

## Summary

**This bill would establish a federal baseline to protect minors on social media by imposing a strict _ban on ephemeral messaging for minors_ and requiring parental controls and app-store warnings.** It targets direct messaging features that delete or hide messages and centers verifiable parental consent and privacy protections while preserving strong encryption and FTC enforcement. - Parents and children: Parents would get an easy parental portal and user-friendly controls activated by verifiable consent. Accounts for children under 13 would have direct messaging disabled by default and parents could approve or deny contact requests before messages arrive. - Platforms and app stores: Social media providers would have to remove or disable ephemeral messaging features for covered users and offer clear parental controls. Platforms would have 1 year to implement parental controls and 18 months to add app-store warnings when covered users attempt to download apps with direct messaging. - Regulators and states: The Federal Trade Commission would enforce the law under the FTC Act and can seek penalties. States could bring civil actions for residents but may not enforce laws that conflict with the federal rules, and the bill bars requiring decryption or weakening encryption.

## Cosponsors (1)

- Rep. Davis, Donald G. [D-NC-1] (D-NC), 2026-01-14T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Parents control kids' direct messages: benefit, high. This bill would give parents built-in tools to manage a child's direct messages on social apps. A covered user would be someone the platform knows or should know is under 17. For kids under 13, direct messages would be off by default unless a parent gives verifiable consent. Parents would get alert…
- No disappearing messages for minors: benefit, high. Social platforms would be barred from offering disappearing or auto-deleting messages to minors. At the same time, the bill would not force platforms to weaken or break encryption. Providers would not have to decrypt messages or monitor encrypted chats system-wide. They would need to follow these r…
- When these rules would start: benefit, medium. Most parts of the bill would start 180 days after enactment. Platforms would have 1 year to add parental direct-message controls. App stores would have 18 months to add warning settings for apps with messaging.
- FTC enforcement and limits on state laws: mixed, high. The FTC would be able to enforce these rules using its usual powers and penalties. State attorneys general could also sue on behalf of residents, but must notify the FTC and cannot sue if a federal case is already pending against the same company. States could not keep or enforce their own laws on…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025
- 119-hr-4393: DIGNIDAD (Dignity) Act of 2025
- 119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025
- 119-hr-4317: PBM Reform Act of 2025
- 119-hr-9211: Jewish American Security Act
- 119-hr-6766: Essential Caregivers Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-hr-6257 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/6257)

## Related
- [119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4669)
- [119-hr-4393: DIGNIDAD (Dignity) Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4393)
- [119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3151)
- [119-hr-4317: PBM Reform Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4317)
- [119-hr-9211: Jewish American Security Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9211)
- [119-hr-6766: Essential Caregivers Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-6766)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-6257 (as of 2026-04-21).