Utah just became the first state in the country to pass an age verification law for app stores

Utah Governor Spencer Cox has signed the App Store Accountability Act into law, making it the first state to require that app store makers verify their users' ages. Under this law, people in Utah will need to be over age 18 to make a new account with an app store; underage users will either need to link their account to a parent's so that the adult can give permission for the child to use certain apps. The legislation is intended to protect children and teens, according to bill sponsor Todd Weiler, a Republican state senator. However, it has also raised questions about privacy and where the burden of responsibility falls to ensure that underage users don't see inappropriate content. Meta, Snap and X have supported the measure. "We applaud Governor Cox and the State of Utah for being the first in the nation to empower parents and users with greater control over teen app downloads, and urge other states to consider this groundbreaking approach," the three companies said in a joint state ... Read full article.