Illustration: Lindsey Bailey/Axios
The push for stronger kids' online safety is gaining speed as lawmakers aim to make app stores responsible for who gets to download certain content.
Why it matters: The desire to get kids' online safety bills over the finish line has intensified in recent weeks, getting a boost from the TAKE IT DOWN Act making it to the president's desk and action in the states.
- That's happening even as Congress remains preoccupied with the reconciliation process.
- TAKE IT DOWN's quick journey this year is a reminder that tech policy bills can indeed pass with the right combination of support.
Driving the news: Rep. John James and Sen. Mike Lee reintroduced the App Store Accountability Act, a bill that would mandate app stores to regulate whether kids have access to age-restricted content.
- That's coming as lawmakers, startled by recent news reports about Meta chatbots inappropriately talking to children, hope to gain momentum on other kids' online safety bills that stalled last Congress.
- House Speaker Mike Johnson is not yet weighing in on whether he supports the bill since it was just introduced, his spokesperson told Axios.
- States are also setting the tone: New York state lawmakers just passed a budget deal that requires K-12 schools to restrict smartphone use during school hours.
What they're saying: "For too long, Big Tech has profited from app stores through which children in America and across the world access violent and sexual material while risking contact from online predators," Lee said in a release.
- "Our legislation brings age verification and accountability to the source of the problem."
The other side: Tech groups like NetChoice have argued app store bills are unconstitutional, and Apple and Google have both said that bills like these mean social platforms can offload their responsibility and put privacy at risk.
Meta, Snap and X have supported such efforts in the states, as it puts age-checking at the device level, which they argue is more accurate and effective.
- The three platforms pushed for a recently-passed South Dakota age verification law.
- Meta also applauded the passage of a Utah bill requiring age verification at the app store level.
The intrigue: The bill push is coming as app stores are already undergoing significant changes to how they operate due to antitrust regulation, as we previously reported.
- Should that effort succeed, it would mark a new era of how people download apps and pay for digital products.
