Alabama SB 187 (App Store Accountability Act, 2025)
Passed the Senate 26-6; died in a House committee, May 2025
Alabama's first app store age verification bill passed the Senate in 2025, stalled in a House committee, and came back in 2026 as HB 161, which became law.
Latest update
House State Government Committee did not vote on it; the bill died with the session
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Official bill recordKey facts
- Where
- Alabama, United States
- Bill number
- Alabama SB 187
- Status
- Defeated
- Threat
- Medium
- Last update
- May 6, 2025
Topics
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What it does
SB 187 required app stores to request age information when anyone in Alabama created an account and to verify it, using commercially available methods or an age verification system approved by rule. Minors' accounts had to be linked to a parent account, and parents had to consent to minors' downloads and purchases. The Senate passed it 26-6 on April 17, 2025, but the House State Government Committee never voted on it, and it died with the session. It would have taken effect October 1, 2026.
What’s at stake
Verification at the app store means adults must prove their age to the company that runs their phone before they can download anything. That ties a person's app history to a verified age record held by Apple or Google.
Our take
SB 187 lost in 2025 because a House committee let the clock run out with two days left in the session. The idea came back the next year as HB 161, which Governor Ivey signed in February 2026 with a mandate to verify existing accounts too. Alabama lawmakers treated the first defeat as a scheduling problem.
Timeline
House State Government Committee did not vote on it; the bill died with the sessionLatest
Passed the Senate as amended, 26-6
Second reading in the Senate with one committee amendment
Referred to the Senate Children and Youth Health Committee
The record
Sponsor
Sen. Clyde Chambliss
Votes
- Senate: Passed, as amended (26 to 6), April 17, 2025
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