Picture this:
Your 10-year-old daughter approaches you asking to download social media. Despite her pleas, you decline, telling her she’s too young. The age limit listed on the Apple App Store for most social media apps is 13.
That still doesn’t seem old enough, but you decide you won’t even consider it until she’s at least 13 years old.
“Ask me again on your 13th birthday,” you tell her.
A few months later, your daughter comes running down the stairs in tears. “What’s going on?” you ask.
Reluctantly, she tells you she downloaded Instagram without your permission and something bad has happened:
A strange man had messaged her, pretending to be a boy her age. The man coerced her into sending sexually explicit images and was now demanding money or he would publish these images online. Your heart sinks.
Confused your mind is racing: The age limit is 13. How was she able to download it without my permission?
Unfortunately, this could happen to any parent because app stores do not currently have robust methods in place for verifying the age of users who are downloading their apps. And once they download the app, in most cases, the apps themselves do not require age verification beyond entering your birthday, which a child can easily fudge.
Sadly, Big Tech lobbyists want to put the blame on parents. A lawyer for NetChoice, arguing against app store accountability, said this:
“I just want to say that companies do a great job of protecting children online, right? There’s been a breakdown around the country involving tech and children, and that breakdown primarily has been parents.”
But we know, it’s beyond overwhelming for parents to monitor the constantly changing digital landscape that their children are subjected to on a daily basis.
How can they possibly argue that the fault lies with the parents, most of whom grew up before the Internet even existed? Why shouldn’t the onus be put on the experts who have made their living developing this technology?
They will continue to try and evade responsibility, which is why legislation is vital. Thankfully, states across the country are mobilizing to hold app stores accountable for their role in online child exploitation through the App Store Accountability Act.
App Store Accountability Act
The App Store Accountability Act: What is it?
App Store accountability is vital to preventing child online exploitation at the source—the chokepoints where children download apps in the first place.
The App Store Accountability Act would implement three key safety measures:
1. Parental Consent Required for Users Under 18
The App Store Accountability Act mandates that app stores obtain parental consent when minors are attempting to download apps and make in-app purchases.
2. App Developers to Provide Accurate Age Ratings
Age ratings for apps are currently misleading and inconsistent. Apple and Google also have different rating systems for apps, meaning an app that is listed 13+ on the Apple App Store could be listed as 16+ on the Google Play Store, creating even more confusion for parents.
The App Store Accountability Act requires age ratings to be more comprehensive and consistent. App developers must accurately rate the age-appropriateness of their apps, and app stores must clearly and accurately disclose the age ratings of apps.
States can choose whether to let their attorney general enforce this law, or give parents a private right of action, allowing them to sue app stores or developers if their child is harmed due to the misrepresentation of app content.
The result in either case would be that app stores could no longer treat age ratings with such apathy without facing repercussions. More robust age ratings equip parents to make informed decisions about which apps their child can and cannot use.
3. App Stores to Verify Age Before Permitting Downloads
With the App Store Accountability Act, app stores would be required to securely verify the ages of users when someone creates an account. If it’s a minor, the app store will have to get parental verification first.
Age verification is straightforward, as app stores already collect user birthdates. Adults could confirm their age by linking a credit card, while parents could validate their child’s age. By leveraging personal data the app stores already have, they can enhance the accuracy of age verification, ensuring seamless compliance with safety laws while imposing minimal burdens on users.
Age verification at the App Store level is important because it will help tell app developers the age category of users — resulting in greater protection for minor users.
While some have expressed privacy concerns over age verification, current technology allows app stores and developers to implement comprehensive age verification without infringing on a user’s right to privacy. See our blog on age verification and privacy to learn more about some of the most advanced and secure age verification procedures.
App Store Accountability Act - FAQs
States Already Climbing Aboard the App Store Accountability Train
Recently, Utah has become the first state to pass the App Store Accountability Act in both its state Senate and House of Representatives. The bill now awaits the governor’s signature before becoming law.
In Alabama, an app store accountability bill recently was advanced out of committee. Other states considering similar legislation include Texas, Oregon, South Dakota, Kentucky, West Virginia, and South Carolina, Hawaii, and Alaska, as of March 2025.
We applaud these states for taking matters into their own hands to protect children online. We have given tech companies more than enough time to cooperate. It’s time to compel them to act with legislation.
