Joined by Michigan Rep. John James, Utah Sen. Mike Lee this week introduced a bill that would work to increase safety for children online.
The bill, titled the App Store Accountability Act, would require app stores to use privacy-protecting age verification and would link children’s accounts to their parent’s accounts, giving parents the final say on whether the minor can download or purchase apps.
It would also require app stores to annually certify a user’s age and prohibit the sale of age-related data collection.
In an opinion piece for The Hill, Lee and Michael Toscano wrote that the legislation “tackles the grave danger of apps systemically misleading parents with deceptive ratings, funneling millions of children toward dangerous and inappropriate content.”
“For too long, Big Tech has profited from app stores through which children in America and across the world access violent and sexual material while risking contact from online predators,” Lee said in the bill’s press release.
The senator promised this legislation would “bring age verification and accountability to the source of the problem.”
The bill follows Utah legislation passed in 2025
Under the same name, SB142 was signed into Utah law after the most recent legislative session, requiring app developers to verify a user’s age category and confirm that the user’s parent gave yearly consent to the app store.
Utah’s version also gives parents of harmed minors the right to sue developers if the app store violates the law’s provisions.
During a ceremonial signing by Gov. Spencer Cox on April 4, the bill sponsor, Sen. Todd Weiler, R-Woods Cross, described the need for this kind of legislation in Utah.
“Everyone in this room knows, and every first year law school student knows, that kids can’t enter contracts,” Weiler said.
However, for decades, app stores have allowed children to do so. Weiler explained, “Every time someone downloads an app or an app changes, and it pops up and says do you accept these terms and conditions, we’re allowing our 11-year-olds, our 13-year-olds and our 15-year-olds to enter into binding contracts.”
CNN reported that if Lee’s bill were to be signed into law, app stores would need to inform app developers of the user’s age, and Big Tech may see this as a win amid pressures to make the internet safer for children.
After Weiler’s bill was passed in Utah, Meta, X and Snap released a joint statement, saying, “Parents want a one-stop shop to verify their child’s age and grant permission for them to download apps in a privacy-preserving way. The app store is the best place for it.”
Bill gains support from Utah organization
The Salt Lake City-based think tank the Sutherland Institute expressed support for Lee’s legislation in a press release Friday morning.
“We welcome the introduction of this common-sense measure to protect parents’ ability to help their children navigate online commerce,” Bill Duncan, constitutional law and religious freedom fellow, said, according to the institute.
“This bill provides an appropriate and constitutional way to empower parents who want to help their children avoid harmful apps and unfair service contracts,” he added.