Utah Legislation Would Require App Stores to Verify User Ages

The Utah legislature passed an age-verification bill on Wednesday requiring app store operations to verify the age of their users and require consent from the parents of minors before downloading an app. The state became the first in the US to reach this point with such a law, the App Store Accountability Act, as many states grapple with evolving age verification requirements for social media platforms and how to protect young users online. Lawmakers in several states have proposed bills requiring app stores to verify children's ages through official identification or parental consent, but many have been blocked or failed to gain traction. The bill now goes to Gov. Spencer Cox for his signature. The act dovetails with Utah's efforts to require age verification on social media sites. It would put the burden onto mobile app stores to verify ages rather than relying on individual websites to do so – an approach social media platforms have long wanted. In a joint statement, Meta, Snap ... Read full article.