App Store Accountability Act
Bad
Referred to committee●●● High threatUpdated May 1, 2025
IntroducedPassed HousePassed SenateBecame Law
Would make Apple and Google verify the age of everyone using their app stores, including adults, and confirm a parent's identity.
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SponsorMike Lee (R-UT)
IntroducedMay 1, 2025
Latest actionReferred to committee (May 1, 2025)
CommitteeCommerce, Science, and Transportation Committee
What it does
Apple and Google would have to check the age of every person who opens an account, and confirm that a parent is 18 or older. Because it covers all accounts, adults get carded too, at the one gate every app has to pass through.
Why it matters
Put the check at the app store and you cannot download anything without proving who you are first. Two companies become the ID desk for the whole phone.
Our take
Most of these bills pretend they only touch kids. This one says out loud that adults have to verify too, and it hands the job to Apple and Google, the two firms already deciding what software you are allowed to run.
Committee
Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee
Timeline
- May 1, 2025Introduced
- May 1, 2025Referred to committee
Related bills
Our coverage: all age-verification stories · Status checked July 20, 2026