To ensure responsible age assurance practices within the mobile ecosystem, particularly concerning the protection of minors, and for other purposes.
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMr. Auchincloss (for himself and Mrs. Houchin) introduced the following …
Summary
What This Bill Does
The Parents Over Platforms Act creates a federal framework requiring app stores (like Apple's App Store and Google Play) and app developers to implement age verification systems to protect children online. The bill aims to give parents more control over what apps their children can access and restricts personalized advertising targeting minors.
Who Benefits and How
Parents gain new tools to block their children from accessing age-inappropriate apps through centralized controls in app stores. Children under 18 receive protection from personalized advertising and age-inappropriate content. Large platform companies like Apple and Google benefit from liability protection when making good-faith compliance efforts and from federal preemption that creates a single national standard instead of a patchwork of state laws.
Who Bears the Burden and How
App developers face new compliance requirements including age verification systems, parental consent mechanisms, and restrictions on data collection. They also bear increased liability for correctly classifying their apps. Digital advertising companies lose the ability to target minors with personalized advertising, reducing a significant revenue stream. Small app developers face compliance costs without the economies of scale that large developers have. States lose the ability to enact their own stricter child protection laws in this area.
Key Provisions
- App stores must provide parents with the ability to prevent their children from accessing specific apps
- Developers must implement age verification with "commercially reasonable" certainty
- Personalized advertising to minors is prohibited
- Age data collection must be minimized and cannot be shared with third parties
- Federal preemption prevents states from enacting conflicting requirements
- The FTC enforces violations as unfair/deceptive trade practices
- Takes effect 24 months after enactment
Evidence Chain:
This summary is derived from the structured analysis below. See "Detailed Analysis" for per-title beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
Primary Purpose
Requires app stores and developers to implement age verification systems to protect minors online by restricting personalized advertising, requiring parental consent for age-gated content, and giving parents control over their children's app access.
Policy Domains
Legislative Strategy
"Create a federal framework for age verification in app ecosystems that preempts state laws, placing primary obligations on app stores while giving developers flexibility in compliance methods"
Likely Beneficiaries
- Children and minors (protected from personalized advertising and age-inappropriate content)
- Parents (given control over children's app access)
- Large Application Distribution Providers like Apple and Google (liability protections, preemption of varying state laws)
- Major app developers with existing compliance infrastructure
Likely Burden Bearers
- App developers (new compliance requirements for age verification and parental controls)
- Small app developers (compliance costs without economies of scale)
- Digital advertising industry (prohibited from personalized ads to minors)
- Application Distribution Providers (must build age signal infrastructure)
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "developer"
- → Companies or individuals that create applications
- "application_distribution_provider"
- → Companies that operate app stores (e.g., Apple App Store, Google Play Store)
- "the_commission"
- → Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
An account holder who is or is estimated to be 18 years of age or older
An account holder who is or is estimated to be under the age of 18
Any person, entity, company, or organization that creates, owns, or controls an Application
A signal that indicates an account holder's Age Category, which the account holder or the account holder's parent has agreed to share
A smartphone, tablet, gaming console, or virtual reality device that enables users to connect to the internet and download software applications
An application that provides a different experience for Adults than for Minors or an experience intended only for Adults, including different account types, content, features, advertising, or data practices based on age. Does not include browsers or search engines.
Displaying advertisements selected based on personal data obtained from activities over time and across non-affiliated websites/apps to predict preferences or interests. Excludes contextual advertising, first-party advertising, and advertising performance measurement.
An entity, company, or organization that owns, operates, or controls an Application Distributor (app store)
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology