Statement: Utah Governor Cox Signs App Store Accountability into Law

After nearly a decade of tireless work from a coalition of child safety advocates, Utah has become the first state in the nation to pass and sign the groundbreaking App Store Accountability Act (Senate Bill 142) into law. Governor Spencer Cox signed the bill today, marking a historic step forward in the effort to protect children online.

“We are deeply grateful to Governor Cox for his leadership and for making Utah the national frontrunner in holding app stores accountable,” said Melissa McKay, Chair of the Digital Childhood Alliance. “Right now, young children and teens alike are operating as adults in digital spaces – gaining access to any app in the app stores without parental consent. The App Store Accountability Act ensures that parents, not tech companies, are making decisions about what apps their children can access and terms of service contracts they agree to. Our bill requires app stores to verify users’ ages and obtain verifiable parental consent before allowing minors to download apps. It closes a significant gap in the digital marketplace and empowers parents with the tools they need to safeguard their children. Voices of child advocates have been ignored for almost a decade, while app stores have made little effort to ensure child safety. But, Utah listened. Governor Spencer Cox and the Legislature stepped up to protect children where tech giants refused.”

“This is only the beginning,” said Dawn Hawkins, Senior Advisor for the National Center on Sexual Exploitation. “We’re committed to seeing this common-sense policy adopted nationwide.”

“Utah’s leadership in restoring parental involvement in their children downloading apps is a welcome step to further protect children online,” said Michael Toscano, Executive Director of the Institute for Family Studies. “We look forward to more states, and eventually Congress, following Utah’s lead to require verified parental consent before minors can agree to complex terms of service contracts at the app store level – restoring the same standards we require in every other aspect of our day-to-day life.”

Earlier today, the Digital Childhood Alliance led a coalition letter alongside over 70 other child advocacy groups, to members of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade calling on members of Congress to support the App Store Accountability Act.

An excerpt of the letter reads:

“For too long, parents have been expected to do the impossible—monitor every app, every update, every risk—while app stores profit off their kids. The App Store Accountability Act sets up commonsense guardrails while ensuring that parents have the final say over the online lives of their children. We strongly urge you to support this bill. Families deserve better tools, clearer information, and robust protection. This is a chance to finally hold app stores accountable and put the safety of kids first.”

For the full letter and list of signers, click here.