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Committee approves app-store parental-consent bill with amendments after privacy and industry concerns

Louisiana House Committee on Commerce · April 7, 2026

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Summary

House Bill 977 would require verifiable age signals, parental accounts and consent for minors on app stores, with enforcement by the attorney general. Supporters pitched safeguards and enforcement; privacy groups and app developers warned about data collection risks, operational burdens and the lack of a private right of action. The committee adopted amendment set 3,154 and reported the bill favorably.

House Bill 977, a broad measure to require age verification and parental-account structures for minors using app stores and mobile applications, was advanced by the House Commerce Committee after adoption of amendment set 3,154.

Sponsor Representative Bowyer framed the bill as a parental-rights and child-protection measure that requires verifiable parental consent before minors can download, purchase or access apps and mandates encryption and limits on developers' access to age-category signals. "This measure advances children's and parents' privacy while providing reasonable compliance pathways for industry," the sponsor told the committee.

Opponents raised privacy and implementation concerns. Julie Barrett of Conservative Ladies of America urged caution, saying the bill "forces every Louisiana family...into a mandatory identity-verification process" and questioned what specific data parents would be required to submit. Representatives of ACT | The App Association and small developers warned the bill's age signals would create actual knowledge under federal COPPA rules and impose heavy compliance costs on small developers.

The committee adopted amendment set 3,154 (which adjusted definitions and compliance provisions, clarified when an app store provider is liable and tailored requirements for developers) and voted to report the bill favorably. Members asked the sponsor to consider narrowing the cure period and other operational changes; Representative Jordan specifically asked whether parents should retain a private right of action for harms resulting from data breaches or enforcement gaps.