Bill targeting app store accountability passes through Utah legislature
SALT LAKE CITY () — A bill that would seek to regulate digital app stores and app developers on phones and tablets passed through the Utah Legislature on Wednesday, putting it on track to go before Gov. Spencer Cox for consideration.
S.B. 142 – otherwise known as the – would require app store providers such as Apple and Google to verify a user's age and require accounts belonging to minors to obtain parental consent before accepting the terms and conditions of any downloaded apps.
(R-Woods Cross), the bill's sponsor, said the bill is mainly focused on the terms and conditions that many apps require users to accept. He said minors are often asked to give permissions to their data, microphones and cameras, which he said was unacceptable to allow children to opt into these terms and conditions 'contracts.'
'So what the bill is designed to do is to tether the accounts of children – those under the age of 18 – to a parent's account and then the parent would accept the terms and conditions or the usage terms of the app,' explained Weiler.
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App stores and developers who are found to have violated the regulation could face $1,000 for each violation as well as be held responsible for attorney and litigation costs.
Critics of the bill questioned data privacy when it comes to verifying age. Weiler explained that parents would be able to verify their age by linking a credit card. Minors, meanwhile, would need a parent to confirm their age at the time of creating an account with a new developer.
The bill originally with a 24-1 vote with four absentees before with a 64-3 vote with eight absentees.
After it passed on Wednesday morning, Weiler posted on Twitter/X saying he was happy the policy had passed through the Utah Legislature.
'I am pleased that the majority of my colleagues in the Utah Legislature voted to protect children from accepting sometimes predatory terms and conditions when downloading apps that may collect and sell their personal data,' Weiler said. 'We shouldn't encourage children to enter into contracts.'
Should Gov. Cox sign the bill into law, app stores and app developers will have until May 7, 2025, to implement verification safeguards.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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