Bill > HB757

This bill, the App Store Accountability Act, aims to protect minors online by imposing new responsibilities on app store providers and app developers, with a delayed effective date of July 1, 2027. App store providers, which are companies that operate platforms where users can download apps, will be required to verify the age category of account holders and obtain verifiable parental consent, meaning a parent's explicit permission, for any minor account holder. This age and consent information must then be shared with app developers, who are the creators of the apps. Developers will also have to verify account holder ages within their own apps and inform app store providers of any significant changes to their apps, such as major updates to terms of service or privacy policies. Furthermore, developers must provide a "parental consent disclosure" for each app to app store providers, detailing the app's age rating, content description, and how user data is collected and protected, which the app store provider must then display. The bill also allows the Attorney General to seek civil penalties of up to $7,500 per violation, and any minor or their parent who is harmed by a violation can sue for damages, including potentially $1,000 per violation or actual damages, plus attorney fees.

Business and Industry

https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB757