Sammy’s Law
Sponsored By: Representative Wasserman Schultz, Debbie [D-FL-25]
In Committee
Summary
Creates a right for parents or eligible children to delegate a child’s social media interactions, content, and account settings to vetted third‑party safety software providers and requires big platforms to support that delegation with real‑time APIs and secure data transfer. It sets rules for who can register as a provider, how platforms must run their interfaces, and how the Federal Trade Commission oversees compliance.
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- Families and children: Parents or children aged 13 or older can authorize a U.S. third‑party safety app to manage a child’s account. The bill defines a child as anyone under 17.
- Third‑party providers: Must be U.S.‑based, store and process data in the United States, pass an initial security review, submit annual audits, disclose practices to users, and can be denied, suspended, or de‑registered by the FTC for material risks.
- Large social media platforms: Platforms with more than 100 million monthly users or over $1 billion in annual revenue must offer continuously available APIs and machine‑readable, secure data transfers at least hourly, and get indemnity if they comply in good faith.
- Privacy and data limits: Certain received data must be deleted within 14 days and delegation‑period data has a 30‑day retention window. Third‑party disclosures are sharply limited to caregivers or lawful process and to narrowly defined serious harms.
- Federal oversight: The FTC must issue compliance and authentication guidance within 180 days, assess covered providers at least every two years, and enforce the rules under its unfair or deceptive practices authority.
The law creates a single national standard for delegation APIs while preserving state consumer protection and other specified state laws.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
4 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 1 costs, 1 mixed.
Parents could use safety apps on big platforms
If enacted, big social media platforms would have to add real-time APIs within 30 days of the rule going live. Parents, or kids 13 and older, could let a registered safety app manage the child’s account on the same terms as the child. The app could pull data at least once per hour in a secure, machine-readable format. The rules would cover platforms with 100,000,000+ monthly users or $1,000,000,000+ in yearly revenue; a “child” would mean under 17. It would preempt state laws that force these APIs, but leave state consumer-protection and related laws in place.
FTC would police and guide these rules
If enacted, the FTC would treat violations as unfair or deceptive acts. The agency could deny, suspend, or revoke a safety app’s registration and require fixes. It would run compliance checks twice a year and set a complaint process for families, platforms, and providers. The FTC would issue guidance, including how to authenticate users and educate consumers, within 180 days. The law’s main rules would start when that guidance is issued.
Strict rules for child safety app providers
If enacted, safety app providers would need to register with the FTC, be U.S.-based, and store data only on U.S. servers. Most user data would have to be deleted within 14 days, and within 30 days after you cancel the app account. “User data” would cover content created or sent during a delegation and within 30 days of when it was made. Providers would face yearly security audits and clear disclosures. They could share a child’s data only for a court order, to meet a legal rule, or with the child or delegating parent about serious risks like suicide, eating disorders, violence, sexual abuse, fraud, or trafficking.
Legal shield for platforms that comply
If enacted, platforms would usually be shielded from civil damage suits over data transfers when they follow this law and FTC guidance in good faith. This would not block FTC enforcement cases.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Wasserman Schultz, Debbie [D-FL-25]
FL • D
Cosponsors
Rep. Carter, Earl L. "Buddy" [R-GA-1]
GA • R
Sponsored 4/3/2025
Schrier
WA • D
Sponsored 4/3/2025
Rep. Miller-Meeks, Mariannette [R-IA-1]
IA • R
Sponsored 4/3/2025
Rep. Suozzi, Thomas R. [D-NY-3]
NY • D
Sponsored 4/3/2025
Rep. Fitzpatrick, Brian K. [R-PA-1]
PA • R
Sponsored 4/3/2025
Rep. Gottheimer, Josh [D-NJ-5]
NJ • D
Sponsored 10/8/2025
Wittman
VA • R
Sponsored 10/8/2025
Rep. Moskowitz, Jared [D-FL-23]
FL • D
Sponsored 10/8/2025
Rep. Houchin, Erin [R-IN-9]
IN • R
Sponsored 10/8/2025
Rep. Ruiz, Raul [D-CA-25]
CA • D
Sponsored 10/8/2025
Rep. Rouzer, David [R-NC-7]
NC • R
Sponsored 10/8/2025
Rep. Moulton, Seth [D-MA-6]
MA • D
Sponsored 10/8/2025
Rep. Stefanik, Elise M. [R-NY-21]
NY • R
Sponsored 10/8/2025
Jackson (IL)
IL • D
Sponsored 10/8/2025
Kean
NJ • R
Sponsored 10/24/2025
Rep. Fine, Randy [R-FL-6]
FL • R
Sponsored 10/24/2025
Rep. Krishnamoorthi, Raja [D-IL-8]
IL • D
Sponsored 10/31/2025
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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