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House approves bill to curb exploitative app-store features for minors after narrow, technical changes
Summary
House Bill 5 70, sponsored by Representative Carver, passed unanimously in the House after floor amendments. The measure targets specific app-store practices affecting minors and was debated alongside amendments to ensure the law captures a wide range of connected devices; a broader amendment to expand device definitions failed on the floor.
Representative Carver, sponsor of House Bill 5 70, described the bill as a narrowly tailored measure "that addresses 4 of the more exploitative practices" in apps and app stores that affect children and teens.
The bill—s core language focuses on consumer protections for minors using applications distributed through major app stores. During floor consideration Carver accepted multiple committee-recommended and staff-technical amendments and reported that the measure reflects input gathered in Commerce Committee hearings.
Representative Reiser offered a substantive amendment seeking to broaden the bill—s definitions to explicitly cover a wide set of "connected devices" (smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, virtual-reality headsets) so future hardware and platform architectures would fall within the law. Reiser said the change would close potential loopholes as new devices and platforms emerge. Representative Carver objected to the amendment on the floor, saying he had not had adequate time to evaluate its effects on his narrowly focused consumer-protection bill; the House voted the amendment down (11 yays, 75 nays in the roll call recorded for the amendment).
Other technical amendments and language changes were adopted without objection; the bill also incorporated an amendment suggested by the Attorney General and a 9-1-1-related change raised in committee. Floor debate emphasized parental empowerment and limiting app-store business practices that make it easy for minors to spend money or be targeted by exploitative features.
The House recorded final passage of House Bill 5 70 with a unanimous recorded vote on the floor: 99 yays and 0 nays. Sponsor Carver said the bill was intended to give parents more control and to hold platform gatekeepers accountable for certain app-store mechanics.
Why it matters: Lawmakers framed the measure as child-safety and consumer-protection legislation that targets specific commercial features of app stores rather than attempting comprehensive regulation of platforms or content moderation. Tech stakeholders including device and platform owners may seek rulemaking or guidance if the bill becomes law.
What comes next: The bill goes to the Senate for consideration. The sponsor and committee will need to monitor implementation language and potential regulatory guidance to ensure compliance across app distribution channels and device manufacturers.
