United States of America: App Store Accountability Act (SB237) was introduced to Senate

On 12 January 2026, the App Store Accountability Act (Senate Bill No. 237) was introduced to the Senate of Virginia. The Act amends the Code of Virginia by adding Chapter 60 to Title 59.1, Sections 59.1-614 through 59.1-619. It would require app store providers to provide parental consent disclosures, request age category information at account creation and to verify age categories using commercially available methods. The Act would establish age categories, defining children as under 13, younger teenagers as aged 13–15, older teenagers as aged 16–17, and adults as aged 18 or older. Where an account holder is a minor, the Act would require a minor account to be affiliated with a verified parent account and requires verifiable parental consent before app downloads, in-app purchases, or access to significantly changed apps. Developers would be required to provide age ratings and content descriptions for each app, verify the age categories of user accounts and, in the case of minors, whether parental consent has been given through the app store's data sharing methods, and enforce age-related restrictions. Developers would be able to request data related to age category no more than once every 12 months, when there is reasonable suspicion of account transfer or misuse, or when an account holder creates an account with the developer.