Utah has become the first state in the country to pass legislation requiring parental consent for app store downloads, drawing praise from Sen. Mike Lee.
“I’m thrilled that Utah is leading the way, adopting the App Store Accountability Act on the state level,” Lee told Fox Business.
“Next step: we pass my bill in Congress and protect children across America. Apple recently implemented safeguards for their app store voluntarily and I hope other businesses see which way the wind is blowing and follow suit, prompted by this vital legislation,” he continued.
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S.B. 142, also known as the “App Store Accountability Act,” is now headed to Utah Gov. Spencer Cox’s desk for signature.
The bill would require app store providers, such as Google and Apple, to verify a user’s age and require accounts belonging to minors to obtain parental consent before downloading applications and accepting their respective terms and conditions.
Social media platforms Meta, Snap and X released a joint statement following the vote, suggesting that parents want a “one-stop shop” to verify their children’s age while preserving privacy.
“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,” the statement continued.
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Meta, Snap, and X previously released a joint letter in support of similar legislation in South Dakota. Equivalent bills have been introduced in at least eight other states.
Lee voiced support for comparable legislation during a February Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on children’s online safety.
At the time, Lee claimed that tech companies should have “liability” if minors access harmful content — claiming that the accountability is akin to a corporation selling a tangible, physical object with “reckless disregard” for the purchaser’s age.
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Apple and Google are among several other tech companies that have pushed efforts to kill bills of this nature. The two major tech behemoths have championed support for the Chamber of Progress, a policy group that lobbied Utah lawmakers to reject S.B. 142.
Apple previously helped kill a Louisiana bill forcing age restrictions on app stores.
“Because many kids in the U.S. don’t have government-issued IDs, parents in the U.S. will have to provide even more sensitive documentation just to allow their child to access apps meant for children. That’s not in the interest of user safety or privacy,” Apple said in a recent online safety report.
However, critics say handing over this data to individual developers increases the chance for private data to leak.
Currently, Apple and Google let users decide whether to disclose their age. Both companies also allow parents to set age restrictions for app downloads.
