These laws move age checks away from individual websites. App stores or operating systems verify a user's age, or ask for it at account setup, and pass an age signal to apps; some also need a parent's consent for downloads. The details differ by state, so each law is listed with its own summary and status.
Which states have app store or device age laws?
| State | Law | Takes effect | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | SB 186 (2025) | Oct 1, 2025 | in effect |
| Texas | SB 2420 (App Store Accountability Act) | Jan 1, 2026 | enforceable since 2026-06-04: district court enjoined it 2025-12-23 (CCIA v. Paxton; SEAT v. Paxton); 5th Cir. administrative stay 2026-05-28 and stay pending appeal 2026-06-04; Supreme Court declined to vacate the stay 2026-07-06; 5th Cir. merits appeal (Nos. 25-51073, 26-50001) argued 2026-08-04 before Judges Stewart, Graves and Wilson, decision pending |
| Alabama | HB 161 (App Store Accountability Act, 2026), Act 2026-59 | Jan 1, 2027 | enacted, not yet in effect (approved by the governor 2026-02-17 as Act 2026-59) |
| California | AB 1043 | Jan 1, 2027 | Enacted: signed 2025-10-13 (Stats. 2025, ch. 675); operative 2027-01-01; amended by AB 1856 (2026) |
| California | AB 1856 | Jan 1, 2027 | Enacted: signed 2026-09-10 (Stats. 2026, ch. 184); amends the Digital Age Assurance Act before it takes effect on 2027-01-01 |
| Utah | SB 142 (2025), App Store Accountability Act; amended by HB 498 (2026) | May 6, 2027 | enacted, not yet in effect: HB 498 (2026-03-18) delayed the compliance date by a year, covered pre-installed apps and removed AG enforcement; CCIA's challenge voluntarily dismissed 2026-04-21 |
| Louisiana | HB 570 (Act 481 of 2025); HB 977 (Act 185 of 2026) | Jul 1, 2027 | enacted; HB 977 (signed 2026-05-15) provides that Act 481 does not take effect on 2026-07-01 and moves the start to 2027-07-01 |
| Colorado | SB26-051 | Jul 1, 2028 | Enacted: signed 2026-06-03 (Session Laws 2026, ch. 343); takes effect 2028-07-01 |
| Utah | HB 72 (2021), Device Filter Amendments (Laws 2021, ch. 416) | Not set | enacted (signed 2021-03-23) but contingent: takes effect the January 1 after at least five other states pass substantially similar laws that are in effect; repealed January 1, 2031 if not in effect by then. The Legislature's bill page lists no effective date. |
What does each law require?
Alabama: SB 186 (2025)
Smartphones and tablets made on or after June 1, 2025 and activated in Alabama must ask the user's age at setup and automatically enable an obscenity filter for minors. Manufacturers face civil liability if a minor then accesses obscene material; Attorney General civil penalties up to $5,000 per violation, capped at $50,000 in aggregate.
Texas: SB 2420 (App Store Accountability Act)
App stores must verify each user's age category, link minors' accounts to a parent, get parental consent for downloads and in-app purchases, and pass age/consent signals to developers. Enforced as a deceptive trade practice; private right of action. Signed 2025-05-27.
Alabama: HB 161 (App Store Accountability Act, 2026), Act 2026-59
App store providers must request age category information when an account is created in Alabama, and by Oct. 1, 2027 for accounts that existed on Oct. 2, 2026, and must obtain verifiable parental consent before minors download apps or make purchases. Covers pre-installed apps. Attorney General enforcement as a deceptive trade practice.
California: AB 1043
Operating-system providers must ask for a birth date or age at device account setup and provide an age-bracket signal on request; app developers must request the signal and treat it as the primary indicator of a user's age. Attorney General enforcement only: up to $2,500 per affected child for a negligent violation and $7,500 for an intentional one; no private right of action. It does not require websites to verify visitors' ages.
California: AB 1856
Deletes the definition that limited 'user' to a child; requires any operating system with an account-setup feature to send app stores and developers a signal in four brackets (under 13, 13-15, 16-17, 18 and over) through a real-time API; bars requesting a signal unless a law requires it; and exempts operating systems distributed under licenses that allow copying, redistribution and modification. Devices set up before 2027 must get the age interface by July 1, 2027.
Utah: SB 142 (2025), App Store Accountability Act; amended by HB 498 (2026)
App stores must verify user age categories, link minors' accounts to parents and get parental consent for downloads and purchases. Private right of action only (up to $1,000 per violation).
Louisiana: HB 570 (Act 481 of 2025); HB 977 (Act 185 of 2026)
App store providers must verify age categories, link minor accounts to a parent and obtain parental consent for downloads/purchases. AG enforcement.
Colorado: SB26-051
From July 1, 2028, operating-system providers that run or preinstall an app store must ask for a birth date, age or age bracket at device account setup and give apps an age-bracket signal through a real-time API; covered apps must request it. Devices set up before that date must get the age interface by January 1, 2029. Attorney General enforcement: up to $2,500 per minor harmed by a negligent violation and $7,500 per intentional violation. Open-license operating systems are exempt. It does not require websites to verify visitors' ages.
Utah: HB 72 (2021), Device Filter Amendments (Laws 2021, ch. 416)
New phones and tablets activated in Utah would need adult-content filters switched on; manufacturers could be sued by the Attorney General or a private individual, with a civil penalty of up to $10 per violation, if a minor accesses harmful content.
Is there a federal app store law?
App Store Accountability Act: Would require app stores to verify each user's age category with a commercially available method and, for minors, link the account to a parent and obtain verifiable parental consent before downloads or purchases, sharing age-category data with app developers. H.R. 3149 forwarded by the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee to the full committee on 11 December 2025; S. 1586 in the Senate Commerce Committee with no action since May 2025; not part of the House-passed KIDS Act
Each state page lists the sources for its laws.