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Congress·In Committee·10 months ago

New Senate Bill Requires App Stores to Verify User Ages and Get Parental Permission for Minors

Also known as: App Store Accountability Act

Legislative Progress

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Review
Senate
House
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Impact Analysis

Scores: 1 = low, 5 = highSentiment: -5 to +5 (net benefit)

Key Points

  • This bill requires large app stores—those with more than 5 million users—to verify the age of every person who creates an account. It creates four specific age groups: young children (under 13), children (13 to 15), teenagers (16 and 17), and adults (18 and older).
  • If a user is under 18, the app store must link their account to a verified parent's account. Parents would have to give clear, informed permission before their child can download any new app or spend money on in-app purchases.
  • App developers would be required to give parents a clear description of what personal data the app collects and who they share it with. If an app makes a major change to its privacy settings or features, the app store must notify the parent and get their permission again.
  • The Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general would be responsible for making sure companies follow these rules. Companies that fail to verify ages or ignore parental consent could face legal action and fines for deceptive business practices.
  • If passed, these rules would take effect one year later. While the policy aims to protect kids, it would require users to provide more personal information to app stores to prove their age, and it would stop developers from enforcing contracts against minors without parental proof.
Technology DigitalCivil Rights

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions
May 1, 2025Senate

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

May 1, 2025

Introduced in Senate

What Happens Next

Projected impacts based on AI analysis

Within 1 year of enactment

FTC issues guidance for app stores and developers on how to comply with the new law

Companies would get clearer instructions on what age verification methods are acceptable and how to handle parental consent, helping them prepare before enforcement begins.

1 year after enactment

New age verification and parental consent requirements take effect for major app stores

Parents would need verified accounts linked to their children's accounts. Minors could no longer download apps or make in-app purchases without parental permission. Every new account holder would go through age verification.

Related News

6 articles
Reuters·9 months ago

Texas governor signs law to enforce age verification on Apple, Google app stores

Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed a bill requiring Apple and Google to verify user ages in their app stores. The law mandates parental consent for users under 18 to download apps or make in-app purchases, making Texas the second state to pass such a measure after Utah.

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Bloomberg Law·19 days ago

States Use App Store Controls to Keep Online Content From Minors

New state age verification and parental consent laws, including the Texas App Store Accountability Act, are slated to take effect in 2026. These laws shift the burden of screening users from individual apps to the app stores themselves, creating significant compliance obligations.

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MediaPost·10 months ago

Republicans Introduce Bill To Restrict Teens' App Downloads

Senator Mike Lee and Representative John James introduced the federal App Store Accountability Act, which would require large app distributors like Google and Apple to verify users' ages and prevent minors under 18 from downloading apps without parental permission.

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Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

App Store Accountability Act

Bill NumberS 1586
Congress119th Congress
ChamberSenate
Latest ActionRead twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

Sponsor

Analysis generated by AI. While we strive for accuracy, this should not be considered legal or professional advice. Always verify information with official government sources.