Lee, James Introduce App Store Age-Verification Bill
Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, and Rep. John James, R-Mich., on Thursday introduced app store age-verification legislation similar to enjoined state measures in Arkansas and Ohio.
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Lee and James introduced the App Store Accountability Act (see 2501290069). The legislation would require that app stores obtain “proper parental consent” when minors try to download or purchase an app. “Big Tech has profited from leading kids to inappropriate & dangerous content through app stores, even exposing their personal information to predators,” Lee said Thursday on X.
NetChoice and the Computer & Communications Industry Association are opposed. “The bill violates protected First Amendment rights, conditioning Americans’ access to protected speech online on whether they are willing to forfeit sensitive documentation to app stores,” said NetChoice. “Americans will thus lose access to legitimate speech. Meanwhile, minors can simply work around this by visiting browsers and using laptops.”