U.S. lawmakers have introduced a draft law that would require major app stores to verify the age of every user. The proposed legislation, called the App Store Accountability Act, marks a pivotal step toward federal regulation of digital platforms.
Unveiled on Thursday, May 1, by Republican Senator Mike Lee and Representative John James, the bill aims to hold tech giants such as Google and Apple accountable for ensuring that their app stores are not easily accessible to underage users without proper age verification. If passed, the legislation would represent the first major federal action focused on app store regulation and youth protection online.
According to the draft, any app store with more than five million users will be required to implement robust age verification processes. The goal is to reduce the exposure of minors to harmful content, predatory behavior, and addictive app features by ensuring only age-appropriate users can access certain apps.
This move follows similar legislation already enacted at the state level. For instance, Utah passed a law in 2023 mandating parental consent for minors to use social media platforms. The App Store Accountability Act builds on such state-level efforts but seeks to introduce a nationwide framework for online safety, creating uniformity across all U.S. states.
Privacy advocates and tech industry stakeholders are likely to closely scrutinize the bill, especially regarding how age verification will be implemented without infringing on user privacy. Critics may raise concerns about data collection, digital ID systems, and potential access issues for users who lack government-issued identification.
Proponents of the bill argue that such measures are essential to protect children in a digital landscape increasingly flooded with unregulated content and apps. With bipartisan concern over tech’s impact on youth, the legislation could gain traction in Congress despite the current polarized political environment.
As debate over the App Store Accountability Act unfolds, the spotlight is now on Apple, Google, and other major platforms to see how they respond to the growing demand for accountability and safety in the digital age.
