Sponsors
The bill strengthens parental control and child protections on app marketplaces through mandatory age verification, standardized ratings, and federal enforcement, but it raises compliance costs, privacy and access risks for some users, and increased litigation/exposure for developers while limiting state flexibility.
Parents and guardians (and their families) gain verifiable control over minors' app downloads, in‑app purchases, and account status because covered app stores must implement age verification and parental‑consent/account systems.
Minors (children and youth) are better protected from age‑inappropriate content and unlawful data collection through standardized age categories, limits on data signaling, and restrictions on sharing age category data with third parties.
App stores and developers get clearer regulatory rules, a centralized guidance/certification process, and a defined safe harbor for relying on store‑provided age signals, which can reduce regulatory uncertainty and help compliant businesses plan operations.
Small app developers, app stores, and some businesses face new compliance, certification, and litigation costs to implement age verification, parental‑consent flows, and notification requirements—costs that may be passed to consumers or shrink the diversity of available apps.
Collecting and transmitting age‑verification signals creates privacy and security risks: if verification data is mishandled or combined with other data, minors' sensitive information could be exposed or used for tracking/profiling.
Verification requirements and reliance on store signals may create access barriers or friction for some users (low‑income families, people without easily verifiable ID, and some adults), delaying or blocking lawful access to apps and services.
Based on analysis of 20 sections of legislative text.
Requires large app stores to verify ages, require verifiable parental consent for minors, provide an age‑bracket signal to developers, limit age‑data use, and authorize FTC and state enforcement.
Introduced May 1, 2025 by Mike Lee · Last progress May 1, 2025
Requires large app stores (those with over 5 million U.S. users) to collect and verify user age at account creation, to require verified parental-account affiliation and parental consent before minors can download, buy, or make in‑app purchases, and to share an age‑bracket signal with developers so apps can apply age‑appropriate defaults. Limits how age‑verification data may be collected, stored, transmitted, and shared; requires clear age ratings and notices of significant changes; and gives the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general enforcement tools. Provides a developer safe harbor if they rely in good faith on store-verified age data and follow industry standards, sets a one-year default effective date, and preempts state laws on the same subject while preserving contract and tort law.