Overview

• Utah Governor Spencer Cox signed the App Store Accountability Act into law on March 26, 2025, marking the first state-level requirement for app stores to verify user ages.
• The law mandates parental consent for minors under 18 to create accounts or make app purchases, aiming to enhance child safety online.
• Tech companies like Meta, Snap, and X support the law, citing reduced compliance burdens, while Apple, Google, and privacy advocates raise concerns about data security and user privacy.
• Apple and Google argue that the law could lead to over-collection of sensitive personal data, such as Social Security numbers, potentially compromising user privacy.
• The law is set to take effect on May 7, 2025, but legal challenges are anticipated, and similar legislation is being considered in other states, including California and South Carolina.