Bill > HB977

This bill establishes new online protections for minors by amending existing law and enacting new provisions related to their use of applications. It renames Chapter 20-A of Title 51 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes to "Online Protections for Minors" and creates a new Part II focused on "Protection of Children on Applications." Key provisions include defining various age categories (child, younger teenager, older teenager, adult) and terms like "covered application store" (platforms like app stores), "developer" (app creators), and "verifiable parental consent" (adult authorization after clear disclosure). The bill mandates that application store providers must verify the age of users creating accounts and, if a user is a minor, obtain verifiable parental consent before allowing them to download, purchase, or access certain applications or in-app purchases. Developers are also required to verify user age categories and parental consent status through the app store and to enforce age-related restrictions. The bill outlines specific disclosures parents must receive before granting consent, protects against certain liabilities for good-faith compliance, and allows the Attorney General to enforce these provisions with civil fines. It also clarifies that existing age verification responsibilities for developers remain in place and that these new rules do not prevent reasonable measures to block harmful content or prevent illegal activity.