Utah Legislature First to Pass App Store Age-Verification Bill
The Utah legislature approved legislation requiring age verification for app stores. The Senate voted 25-1 Wednesday to concur with the House-amended SB-142 after that chamber passed the bill 64-3 Tuesday. The Senate first passed the bill on Feb. 10 (see 2502110047).
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
The Utah App Store Accountability Act by Sen. Todd Weiler (R) would require app stores to verify users’ ages and obtain parental consent for minors younger than 18. Meta, which supports such measures, faced off with NetChoice and the Entertainment Software Association at a hearing on a similar Alabama bill last week (see 2502270015).
The Digital Childhood Alliance, a freshly formed group supporting App Store Accountability Act proposals in various states, applauded Utah for being the first state to pass such a bill. "This bill ensures that children cannot enter contracts they are too young to legally agree to, strengthens parental oversight of app downloads, and holds app stores accountable for misleading age ratings and inadequate safeguards," a spokesperson said. "The momentum behind this issue is growing" and the group "will continue demanding app store accountability in state houses across the country and in Congress."
In addition, Utah legislators Wednesday sent a teachers’ privacy bill (HB-124) to Gov. Spencer Cox (R). The House first passed that bill on Jan. 31 and last month approved a Senate-amended version (see 2501310054).