Utah lawmakers advance bill requiring age verification for app store purchases

This story was originally published by Utah News Dispatch. 

Utah lawmakers are looking to further regulate how kids interact with the internet and social media as a bill that would require app stores to verify the age of their customers passed the Senate on Monday. 

Sponsored by Sen. Todd Weiler, R-Woods Cross, SB142 would create the App Store Accountability Act, which links a minor’s app store account to a parent’s.

It will still need approval from the House and a signature from Utah Gov. Spencer Cox before it becomes law. However, the legislature and governor have been willing in recent years to pass laws giving parents greater control over their children’s access to social media. 

According to the bill text, both Google and Apple’s app stores would have to verify the age of anyone in Utah who opens an account. In most cases, Weiler said, a credit card could be used as age verification. 

If a minor tries to open an account, Weiler’s bill would direct the app store to tether their account to their parent’s account. And if the minor tried to download an app that requires them to agree to a list terms and conditions, the parent would have to agree to them. 

Weiler describes it as a contract bill rather than a content bill. The legislation isn’t trying to regulate what kind of content young people can see on the internet or social media — but if they want to download anything that requires the approval of terms and conditions, they will need their parent’s permission. 

Weiler likened the current process to a car rental company requiring a child to sign their rental agreement. 

“They can download an app, and then the app will say, ‘do you agree with these terms and conditions?’ And in order to complete the installation, you have to say ‘yes.’ Those terms and conditions are a binding contract that your 9-year-old grandson may be entering, just like signing the car rental agreement,” Weiler said during a Senate Transportation, Public Utilities, Energy, and Technology Committee meeting in January. “Those terms and conditions can give that company access to their camera, their microphone. They’re consenting that their data can be collected and shared.” 

Once the minor’s account is linked to their parent’s account, the law directs app stores to get verifiable parental consent before allowing the minor to download or purchase an app, or make any in-app purchases. 

A violation of the law would be a “deceptive trade practice” under state law, and create an avenue for parents to bring civil action against the app store provider.  

If passed, SB142 would join a growing list of laws seeking to curb youth access to social media in the name of mental health. In 2024, the Legislature passed a bill requiring social media companies to verify the ages of all users, and place default restrictions on accounts belonging to minors. Lawmakers hoped the new restrictions would give parents a tool to restrict their children’s online presence, citing studies and stories that showed a link between social media use and depression, even suicide. 

But the constitutionality of those restrictions has been questioned. The state was promptly sued by a trade association, which argued the law violated the first and 14th Amendments. In a ruling last September, a federal judge blocked the law from taking effect until the lawsuit plays out. 

Weiler said his bill is different, since it deals with the contract that needs to be signed in order for an app to be downloaded, rather than restricting content. 

“We’re not regulating speech. What we’re saying is, you just have to verify their age,” he said. “I don’t see this as a constitutional problem.” 

David McGarry with the nonprofit Taxpayers Protection Alliance thinks otherwise. Speaking during the January committee meeting, McGary cautioned lawmakers that the bill will likely result in another lawsuit, noting that federal courts have blocked similar age verification laws in other states. 

“Age verification mandates also violate Americans’ First Amendment rights, most notably the rights of adult users forced to submit sensitive, personal data as a precondition to accessing constitutionally protected speech online,” he said.  “If SB142 is enacted, Utahns can be sure their hard-earned tax dollars will be spent pointlessly defending an injunction-bound law that judges have already made clear cannot withstand First Amendment scrutiny.” 

Ruthie Barko with the group Technet also spoke against the bill, warning lawmakers that although it was well intentioned, compelling app stores to collect more information from customers could have unintended consequences. 

“Every Utah resident, including parents and guardians, must submit more sensitive personal identification information online,” she said. 

The bill won’t take effect until May 2026. However, the enforcement provision, which allows parents to sue companies, won’t take effect until December 2026. Weiler said that was to give the industry time to comply with the law. 

Utah News Dispatch is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Utah News Dispatch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor McKenzie Romero for questions: info@utahnewsdispatch.com.