App Store Accountability Act

This bill sets up a national system for how big app stores and app developers must treat users under 18. It defines four age groups (young child, child, teenager, and adult) and uses these groups to decide what kind of consent and protections are needed. A “covered app store provider” is any app store with more than 5 million users in the United States. App stores would have to ask for a person’s age when they create an account and then verify the person’s age category using a method designed to be accurate. If the user is a minor, the store must link that account to a verified adult “parental account” and get verifiable parental consent before the minor can download or buy apps or make in‑app purchases. When an app later makes a significant change—such as collecting new types of data, changing its age rating, adding in‑app purchases or ads, or making other material changes—the app store must notify the user and, for minors, notify the parent and get new parental consent. App stores must share with app developers the user’s age category and whether parental consent has been verified, and notify developers if a parent revokes consent. They also must give developers a real‑time way (such as a technical “signal”) to check age category and consent status. App stores must limit and protect the personal data they collect for age checks and consent, and show any age ratings or content descriptions clearly and in plain language. App developers must use the app store’s method to check users’ age categories and consent status for minors, and they must tell the app store when they make a significant change to the app. Developers can request age data or consent at certain times, such as when a user downloads the app, when the app changes in a major way, once a year to confirm accuracy, when they suspect account misuse, or to follow other laws. They may use age data to enforce their own age rules, follow laws, and set features or defaults, but they cannot enforce their terms of service against a minor unless they have confirmed that parental consent was obtained. They also cannot misrepresent information to parents or share age category data with most outside third parties. The bill directs the FTC to issue guidance within one year to help app stores and developers comply, and to set up a system to certify whether app stores meet the law’s requirements. Certified app stores must notify the FTC if they later make significant policy changes. The FTC must also create a way to accept and review complaints about app store compliance. Violations of this act would be treated as unfair or deceptive practices under existing FTC law, giving the FTC its usual powers and penalties. State attorneys general could bring civil cases in federal court to stop violations, seek damages or restitution for residents, and enforce compliance, while notifying the FTC and allowing it to intervene. The bill includes a “safe harbor” stating that app developers are not liable under this act if they rely in good faith on app‑store age data or signals, follow section 4, and reasonably follow widely accepted industry standards or FTC‑identified best practices for age ratings and content descriptions. The act would override (preempt) state or local laws related to its provisions, but it would not replace contract or tort law. Most of the act would take effect one year after it is signed into law.