Alabamians may soon need to verify their age to download apps to their phones under a bill that unanimously passed the Alabama House of Representatives on Thursday.
HB161 by Rep. Chris Sells, R-Greenville, would require app providers to use an age verification system to confirm the age of a user. If the user is determined to be a minor, the app store must require the user to be connected to a parent account and require parental consent for downloads, purchases and in-app purchases. The parent could withdraw consent at any time.
This is the latest bill from Sells in the same vein after years of work on a bill that would require parental controls on phones to be turned on by default, drawing criticism from telecommunications companies who said the process would be burdensome and other advocates who said it would step into restrictions on First Amendment rights.
This bill, however, specifically has the backing of Meta, the Facebook company, and has broad bipartisan support. Still, a federal judge in Texas last year blocked a similar law on First Amendment grounds.
“HB161 is about protecting children online and putting parents back in control. The App Store is a gateway to what our children are exposed to online,” Sells said. “This bill basically does two things, puts parental permission before apps can be downloaded to a child’s phone, and it requires that the app’s age rating be accurate when related to the apps.”
The bill now heads to the Senate.
