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Senate approves App Store Accountability Act with delayed enforcement and parental‑consent provisions
Summary
The Senate passed a fourth substitute of the App Store Accountability Act requiring parental‑account tethering for app purchases by minors and delaying full enforcement; supporters described it as primarily a contract bill and agreed to implementation timelines to give the industry time to comply.
The Utah Senate on the floor approved Fourth Substitute Senate Bill 142, the App Store Accountability Act, which would require app stores to tie accounts for users under 18 to a parent or guardian who consents to terms and conditions and would delay the bill—s effective and enforcement dates to provide industry time to comply.
Sponsor Senator Wyler described the measure as "primarily a contract bill," saying its purpose is to prevent minors from entering into app agreements that allow data harvesting or collection without parental consent. "What this App Store Accountability Act is designed to do is to tether . . . accounts for children, people under the age of 18, to a parent's account," Wyler told the Senate. He said the fourth substitute sets an effective date of May 2026 and delays enforcement provisions, including a private right of action, until Dec. 30, 2026, to give companies time to prepare.
Senator Baldry asked whether the bill requires a state driver—s license as a means of parental verification. Wyler replied that the measure does not inherently require a state ID and that app stores could rely on other age‑verification methods, including payment cards or commercial verification tools. "This does not inherently require a state ID," Wyler said. He added that the bill envisions app‑store level verification rather than per‑app solutions.
The floor adopted the fourth substitute and later recorded a roll‑call tally showing 24 yay votes, 0 nay votes and 5 absent. The Senate read the fourth substitute for a third time.
Why it matters: Sponsors and supporters framed the bill as protecting children—s privacy and stopping minors from entering potentially binding digital contracts. The delayed enforcement timetable aims to reduce disruption for app platforms while creating a parent‑consent regime for under‑18 accounts.
Next steps: With Senate passage of the fourth substitute, the bill proceeds to the next stage of the legislative process.
