Developers push back on app store age verification bill
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A state bill strengthening age verification for app stores is getting pushback from a coalition of app developers.
The big picture: Under the proposal, app stores would be required to verify users' ages at signup, via commercially available methods, and place them into age groups of under 13, 13–15, 16–17, or 18-plus.
How it works: It would tie a minor's account to their parents' account and get consent before apps are downloaded or purchases made, and give developers real-time access to age category data and parental consent status for users.
The latest: The bill passed the House 103-0 on Jan. 22, and made it out of the Senate's Committee on Children's and Youth Health on Wednesday.
- It's set for a vote as early as Thursday in the Senate.
Catch up quick: The bill's supporters include Meta, whose head of North American safety policy, Jennifer Hanley, told lawmakers "apps need to know who is and who is not a teen, period," per Alabama Daily News.
Yes, but: In a letter to Senate members provided to Axios, the coalition, led by ACT - The App Association, says the bill would require apps to collect additional sensitive data on kids and parents, imposes a burden on smaller developers, and mirrors laws that have already been struck down elsewhere.
Zoom in: For many Alabama developers and service providers, the requirements would mean "building complex new systems to verify age, associate parents with minors, monitor app changes, and maintain records," the letter says.
- Those systems would be costly, technically complex and difficult to sustain, it says, placing small businesses at a disadvantage since they don't have the dedicated compliance teams or legal resources of larger companies.
- Birmingham-based developers LunarLab and Sigao are part of the coalition, alongside more recognizable names like DoorDash and the Entertainment Software Association (ESA).
Case in point: Late last year, a federal judge stopped a similar bill in Texas, the App Store Accountability Act, which would have imposed age verification and parental consent requirements on developers and app stores.
The other side: The group proposes instead strengthening device-level parental controls, promoting transparency and education for parents, and aligning Alabama's efforts with existing federal frameworks.