Some of the social media giants are on board with these efforts
Utah has passed a bill, the App Store Accountability Act, which is geared towards protecting kids on the internet.
With the bill, users will have to verify their ages before downloading apps. In addition, parental consent will be required for minors before downloading apps.
I am pleased that the majority of my colleagues in the #utleg voted to protect children from accepting sometimes predatory terms and conditions when downloading apps that may collect and sell their personal data, Senator Todd Weiler posted on X. We shouldnt encourage children to enter into contracts. #utpol
Details of the bill
With the goal of protecting children on the internet, the bill, SB 142, will require age verification of all users prior to a download.
The bill outlines the following requirements for app stores, like the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store:
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Verify users age category
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Obtain parental consent for minor accounts
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Notify users and parents of significant changes, meaning age verification will have to be repeated if an app makes any major changes
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Share age category and consent data with app developers
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Protect age verification data
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Prohibit the enforcement of contracts against minors without parental consent
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Prohibit the misrepresentation of parental content disclosures
Whos in favor of the bill?
So far, many of the major players on social media are in favor of this legislation.
Antigone Davis, Metas vice president of global safety, took to X after the bill was approved to share on behalf of Meta (which includes Facebook and Instagram), X, and Snap.
Meta, X, and Snap agree! she wrote. Parents want a one-stop shop to verify their childs age and grant permission for them to download apps in a privacy-preserving way.
The app store is the best place for it, and more than a quarter of states have introduced bills recognizing the central role app stores play. We applaud Utah for putting parents in charge with its landmark legislation and urge Congress to follow suit.
Opposition to the bill
On the other hand, not everyone has been in favor of the legislation. Currently, both the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store allow parents to set age restrictions on app downloads for their kids. The idea is that users have the choice whether or not to share age verification data.
Additionally, Apple and Google are both supporters of Chamber of Progress, a tech industry political coalition. The organization is one of the bills primary dissenters, arguing that it questions consumers privacy rights.
Utah already approved a similar bill focused on social media, and the courts rightly blocked it. The same thing is likely to happen here, Chamber of Progress Government Relations Senior Director Robert Singleton said in a news release.
This bill invades everyones privacy and forces even adults to share sensitive data just to use their own devices. Instead of making the internet safer, this bill invites new risks and unintended harm.
Hear from Utah parent Melissa McKay on the new legislation:
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Posted: 2025-03-13 18:29:43
