To safeguard children from harmful app services accessible through app stores across the United States, to provide parents with parental controls, to provide parents clear and accurate information about apps and their services to ensure proper parental consent is achieved, and for other purposes.
About This Bill
Committee
Latest Action · December 11, 2024
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
The App Store Accountability Act requires major app store operators, primarily Apple and Google, to implement age verification systems and obtain parental consent before minors download apps or make purchases. App store providers must verify users' ages, provide parents with tools to block inappropriate apps and set usage limits, display clear age ratings for all apps, and share age category information with app developers in real time. App developers are similarly required to display accurate content ratings, verify parental consent before minors access their apps, and provide time-restriction features. The Federal Trade Commission will establish an advisory committee to develop best practices for age ratings, with companies given one year after the law's effective date to comply. Violations carry substantial civil penalties, including up to $500 per user for knowing misstatements about app content, $1,000 per user for failing to verify parental consent, and maximum penalties of $2-4 billion per violation, which can be doubled for repeated or flagrant violations.
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