Alabama committee hears hours of testimony on bill to require app‑store age verification and parental consent

A House committee on HB317 heard more than a dozen witnesses on a bill that would require app stores to verify a user’s age and obtain parental approval before a minor downloads an app.

The bill’s sponsor, Representative Johnny Sells, told the committee HB317 is “part of a package” intended to protect children in digital spaces, saying legislators already take safety steps for kids in other contexts. “We do different things to protect our children,” Sells said as he introduced the measure.

Why it matters: Supporters told legislators the measure would give parents a single point of control over app downloads and reduce privacy risks from sharing sensitive data with many separate app developers. Opponents warned the bill could raise First Amendment and privacy issues, be legally vulnerable in court and impose burdens on small developers that do not operate social platforms.

Supporters’ case Nicole Lopez, safety policy director for youth at Meta, said parents are overwhelmed by the number of apps teens use and urged app‑store verification as the most practical, privacy‑protective option. “We believe the easiest, most…