Georgia hearing exposes sharp split over bill to require app‑store age checks and parental consent

Summary

Supporters called SB 467 a necessary step to give parents control over children’s app access; opponents — including civil liberties, tech trade, and privacy groups — warned the measure would centralize sensitive data, raise First Amendment risks and trigger litigation. Testimony included parents, industry, law‑enforcement and advocacy groups.

A Georgia Senate committee heard hours of testimony on SB 467, a bill that would require app‑store age verification and parental consent before minors may download mobile apps or make in‑app purchases. Sponsor Senator Kausser told the Children and Families Committee the measure aims to "protect minors from inappropriate materials" and give parents "more say so in what their kids are accessing" by verifying ages at the point of download and requiring parental consent for minors to use or upgrade apps.

The bill, Kausser said, applies to apps downloaded on cell‑phone devices, requires commercially available age‑verification methods (not necessarily photo ID), and directs enforcement to the attorney general under the state's unfair trade practices authority. "It requires strict confidentiality of that type of data," he added, while acknowledging the law would not control every access route such as laptops or browsers.

Supporters told the committee the measure would strengthen parental authority. Mike Griffin of the Georgia Baptist Mission…

Georgia hearing exposes sharp split over bill to require app‑store age checks and parental consent

Summary

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