New proposed law would require Apple and Google to verify your age before letting you into their app stores

A pair of Republican lawmakers are set to propose a new law that would require app stores to verify the ages of all users and share that information with app developers, following a similar state law that was signed in Utah earlier this year.

A pair of Republican lawmakers are set to propose a new law that would require app stores to verify the ages of all users and share that information with app developers, following a similar state law that was signed in Utah earlier this year. If passed, the legislation, called the App Store Accountability Act, could mark the first major federal online safety legislation in years and would significantly change how users engage with app stores. The law would go into effect one year after its passing. The proposed law could make it easier, in theory, for tech platforms to provide safe experiences for kids. But app store operators and privacy experts have noted that the approach could raise legal and practical questions, including how to verify the ages of young users without government IDs. The bill — set to be introduced by Sen. Mike Lee of Utah and Rep. John James of Michigan on Thursday — would require app store operators with at least 5 million users to verify users’ ages when they sign up for an account, according to a draft provided exclusively to CNN. App stores, including those run by Apple and Google, would be required to inform app developers of a user’s age category — “young child” as under the age of 13; “child” as 13- to 15-years-old; “teenager” as 16- to 17-years-old; or “adult” as 18 or older — while protecting their personal information. Parental consent would be required before minors can download or make purchases through an app. Lee said in a statement that the legislation is designed to prevent children from accessing apps where they could be exposed to “violent and sexual material while risking contact from predators online.”