Governor Kay Ivey on Wednesday signed HB161, the App Store Accountability Act, into law.
The bill, sponsored by State Rep. Chris Sells (R-Greenville), requires parental consent before minors can download apps, requires app stores to verify users’ ages, and requires apps to carry age-appropriate ratings similar to movie ratings. It passed both the House and Senate unanimously.
The Alabama Senate Republican Caucus praised the signing.
“Our kids are safer today because HB161 is now law,” the caucus said in a statement. “Alabama families deserve the tools to protect their children, and Senator Chambliss delivered.”
State Sen. Clyde Chambliss (R-Prattville), who carried the bill in the Senate, said during floor debate that the legislation extends existing protections into the digital world.
“For years we have had guardrails,” Chambliss said. “This bill tries to put those types of protections over the digital world. Children should not be accepting contracts.”
Sawyer Knowles is a capitol reporter for Yellowhammer News. You may contact him at [email protected].
