App Store Accountability Act Helps Safeguard Children Online
S.C. Rep. Richard Blake Sanders
When a child in South Carolina opens up their device, they are exposed to app stores with hundreds of apps that contain inappropriate content – such as violent or sexual games and anonymous chat forums riddled with predators. For children, it is easy to scroll virtual marketplaces, hit “download”, agree to binding terms and conditions, engage with dangerous content, and make in-app purchases without their parents ever knowing. Make no mistake, for app store operators like Apple and Google, this system is designed with one goal in mind: profit. It’s time to demand safeguards for our children online.
For too long, we’ve let app stores run wild, allowing minors to enter contracts when they download new applications, treating kids like adults, all while keeping their parents in the dark. App stores are the gatekeepers to the digital world, and they’ve shown that with that power, they have not done their part in protecting children.
That is why it is time for Congress to pass the App Store Accountability Act (HR 3149). The App Store Accountability Act would reform the current app marketplace structure. Namely, it places control back where it belongs: in the hands of parents. It requires app stores to securely verify the age of users and using that information obtain verifiable parental consent before minors can download apps or make in-app purchases, while ensuring app age ratings reflect actual content and in-app experiences.
Advancing the bill out of the House Energy & Commerce Committee with the help of Congressman Fry (SC-07) and unanimous Republican support was a great first step, but now the real work begins. It’s our job, as state legislators, to protect the children of South Carolina. That is why I am calling on our federal legislators to do their part in protecting the children in our state – and across the nation – by supporting the App Store Accountability Act.
This legislation, introduced by Representative John James (R-MI) and co-sponsored by Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) and Rep. Erin Houchin (R-IN), offers common-sense and minimally intrusive safeguards. Age verification is a highly normalized part of society, so why should the app store not be held to the same standards? It has also been proven simple to implement by Apple themselves – taking less than 30 seconds to automatically assess age in countries where this is already law. This is not an overly confusing or burdensome requirement; companies just don’t want to change the status quo.
Detractors of the App Store Accountability Act will argue that it violates the First Amendment, but this is simply not the case. The App Store Accountability Act is content-neutral, applying consistent principles and equal treatment to all platforms, from TikTok to the Weather App. This legislation isn’t looking to regulate speech; it’s establishing the standard that parents should have a hand in making sure that their children are having age-appropriate digital experiences.
National polling shows 88% of parents support requiring app stores to obtain parental consent before minors can download apps. Federal lawmakers must understand that parents want the App Store Accountability Act.
Alternative policy proposals like the Parents Over Platforms Act would not enact the same meaningful safeguards for children online. POPA is a bill pushed by Apple and Google as an alternative to the App Store Accountability Act, that would essentially reinforce the existing processes. POPA would rely on self-reported age verification and allow developers to opt-in to age restrictions. This is a way for Big Tech to continue exploitative practices – and why the House Energy and Commerce Committee voted it down.
I urge the entire South Carolina House Delegation to stand with the majority of parents nationwide and support the App Store Accountability Act when Speaker Johnson brings it to the House Floor.
S.C. Rep. Richard Blake Sanders, is a Republican who represents House Dist. 9.
