In state capitals from coast to coast—and increasingly in Washington, DC—lawmakers are trying to address growing concerns around kids’ online safety. Debates over how to create safer online experiences for children and teens while empowering parents to make the right decisions for their families have fueled the creation and consideration of a wave of bills and legislative proposals. There is bipartisan agreement that more must be done, but far less clarity around who should bear responsibility for preventing and mitigating online harms. Despite good intentions, many proposals advancing at the state and federal level risk undermining privacy, parental authority, and innovation without making any meaningful improvements to children’s safety.
In the past year, several states with Republican-dominated legislatures enacted age verification laws that place the burden on app stores to verify users’ ages and obtain parental consent before every download or in-app purchase. While presented as child safety measures, these
laws raise serious concerns about the collection of sensitive data, the potential exposure of minors’ personal information, and significant compliance costs—particularly for small app developers. Texas, Utah, and Louisiana have already passed sweeping mandates that place responsibility for age verification directly on app stores, and more states have introduced or will be considering similar proposals in 2026.
There are several efforts at the federal level to address the real online harms for kids. Some proposals, like the App Store Accountability Act, shift the burden of age checks away from the platforms themselves and onto app stores and small businesses. These legislative and regulatory measures have their pros and cons, but too often the voice of the people who use these services every day in the real world are drowned out.
