House Bill 219 Alabama 2026 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Mike ShawRepresentative

Republican

Session

2026 Regular Session

Title

Consumer protection; software applications, age appropriateness, rules established for app developers and app distribution providers, civil penalties established

Summary

HB219 would regulate how app stores and developers handle user age information and age-appropriate experiences, with enforcement by the Attorney General and civil penalties.

What This Bill Does

The bill requires app store operators to ask for an account holder’s age, provide age signals to developers and parents, and offer tools and information about age signals and age-appropriate content. Developers of covered applications must report if their apps differ for adults versus minors, provide parental controls, determine user age with reasonable certainty, prevent minors from accessing restricted content, and avoid advertising to minors. The Attorney General would enforce the law, with civil penalties for violations, and the act includes liability protections in certain circumstances; it takes effect January 1, 2027.

Who It Affects

• App store operators and developers of covered applications: must implement age declarations, supply age signals, offer parental controls and information, restrict minor access to adult content, and comply with enforcement and liability provisions.
• Account holders (including minors) and their parents: will declare age, receive age signals and parental-control tools/information, and have mechanisms to block access to certain apps or features deemed unsuitable for minors.

Key Provisions

• Defines terms such as Adult, Minor, Age Category, Age Signal, Covered Application, App Store Operator, and Connected Device.
• App store operators must (a) ask for age at account creation, (b) provide age signals to developers and agreeing parents, (c) allow blocking minor access to covered apps, (d) disclose parental controls for apps on a central page, and (e) ensure compliance by operators and developers with safety standards.
• Developers of covered applications must (a) report whether their app offers different experiences by age, (b) provide tools to help parents, (c) determine age with reasonable certainty, (d) take steps to prevent minors from accessing restricted content, (e) obtain parental consent for minor access to restricted content, and (f) refrain from delivering advertising to minors.
• Data and privacy rules limit sharing of age signals and require commercially reasonable methods to obtain and use age information for safety purposes, with constraints on back-calculation of birthdates.
• Liability provisions shield app stores/os providers and developers (in good faith) from certain liability for errors or outages related to age signals; developers are mainly liable for correctly identifying covered apps.
• Enforcement and penalties: the Attorney General has exclusive enforcement authority; no private right of action; civil penalties up to $1,000 per violation.
• Effective date: January 1, 2027.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 11, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Consumer Protection