All Roll Calls
Yes: 178 • No: 13
UtahH.B. 4982026 General SessionHouse
Utah App Store Accountability Act Amendments
Sponsored By: James A. Dunnigan (Republican)
Signed by Governor
Electronic PrivacyTechnologyElectronic InformationBusinessCommerce and TradeConsumer ProtectionPublic Utilities and TechnologyData and Cyber SecuritySocial Media
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
9 provisions identified: 5 benefits, 1 costs, 3 mixed.
App users gain age-data privacy protections
App stores must limit age-data collection and processing to age checks, parental consent, and compliance records. They must protect age data with industry-standard encryption during transmission. Beginning May 6, 2027, stores cannot share covered data except as required by this chapter or law. They also cannot enforce agreements against minors without verified parental consent or knowingly misstate parental-consent disclosures. Developers may use store-provided age data only for age restrictions, legal compliance, or safety features, and cannot share it with anyone.
Parents can win app-violation damages
Beginning May 6, 2027, a minor harmed by specified app violations, or that minor’s parent, can sue. Claims cover the listed app-store and developer age-verification or parental-consent violations, not every chapter violation. A parent who wins receives actual damages or $1,000 per violation, whichever is greater. The award also includes reasonable attorney fees and litigation costs.
Parents must approve minors’ app purchases
Beginning May 6, 2027, Utah app stores must check new users’ age categories using commercially available methods designed for accuracy. Categories are under 13, ages 13–15, ages 16–17, and adults 18 or older. For minors, stores must use a parent’s age statement plus other age information and link a verified adult parent account. Verified parental consent is required for downloads, app purchases, in-app purchases, and enforcing app agreements against minors. Stores have 12 months to complete the process for existing accounts. The minor definition includes marriage and emancipation limits; parents include reasonably believed parents, guardians, legal custodians, and other legally authorized decision-makers.
Safer defaults but app blocks for minors
Beginning May 6, 2027, developers must use the lowest indicated age category when first setting their safety features or defaults. This applies to age information from app stores or data developers collect themselves. Parents can later change age restrictions, safety features, and content settings for individual users in a minor account. Developers can also ask stores to block minors from downloading or buying their apps. Stores must follow requests made under the law, but developers do not have to request a block.
App developers must check minors’ consent
Beginning May 6, 2027, developers must use app-store data to check Utah users’ age categories and minors’ parental-consent status. Required requests occur at app downloads, purchases, first launches of pre-installed apps, significant changes, and for legal compliance. Additional routine verification requests are limited to once every 12 months; reasonable suspicion of account transfer or misuse and new developer accounts allow extra requests. Developers must report significant changes to stores. For apps present at device purchase, activation, or first use, stores must share available age information when developers ask. Stores must also take reasonable steps to help obtain parental consent when asked.
Users keep access to earlier apps
Beginning May 6, 2026, stores and developers cannot be required to block apps downloaded or installed before their new duties take effect. Those core duties begin May 6, 2027. This protection does not apply when a parent revokes verified consent for a linked minor account. It also does not apply when the app has a significant change.
Families face limits on app claims
The law removes deceptive-trade-practice status for the specified app-store and developer violations. Developers avoid liability under this chapter by proving good-faith reliance on store-provided age data and following the developer requirements. If the data identifies a minor, developers must also rely on the store’s notice that verified parental consent was obtained. This protection applies only to claims under this chapter and does not limit liability under other laws.
Emergency apps lose minors’ consent exception
Beginning May 6, 2026, apps giving direct access to emergency services lose their parental-consent exception. Stores and developers must apply the law’s otherwise applicable consent requirements to these apps. This extends parental oversight but adds a consent step for covered minors. The core consent duties begin May 6, 2027.
Parents get app notices with limits
Before verified consent, stores must disclose available app age ratings, content descriptions, and information about personal data collected and shared. They must explain protections when personal data is collected; separate age and content disclosures for in-app purchases are no longer required. Beginning May 6, 2027, significant app changes require notice to users and linked parents, plus renewed consent for minors. These are material terms or privacy-policy changes affecting data practices, age or content information, or introducing purchases or ads where none existed. Feature or user-experience changes alone are no longer listed as significant changes. Beginning May 6, 2026, stores and developers cannot be required to create or use age-rating or content-label systems.
Sponsors & Cosponsors
Sponsor
James A. Dunnigan
Republican • House
Cosponsors
Todd Weiler
Republican • Senate
Roll Call Votes
House vote • 3/6/2026
House/ concurs with Senate amendment
Yes: 63 • No: 6
Senate vote • 3/5/2026
Senate/ uncircled
Yes: 0 • No: 0
Senate vote • 3/5/2026
Senate/ passed 2nd & 3rd readings/ suspension
Yes: 29 • No: 0
Senate vote • 3/5/2026
Senate/ circled
Yes: 0 • No: 0
Senate vote • 2/27/2026
Senate Comm - Favorable Recommendation
Yes: 6 • No: 0
Senate vote • 2/27/2026
Senate Comm - Substitute Recommendation
Yes: 6 • No: 0
House vote • 2/24/2026
House/ circled
Yes: 0 • No: 0
House vote • 2/24/2026
House/ uncircled
Yes: 0 • No: 0
House vote • 2/24/2026
House/ passed 3rd reading
Yes: 60 • No: 5
House vote • 2/18/2026
House Comm - Substitute Recommendation
Yes: 7 • No: 1
House vote • 2/18/2026
House Comm - Favorable Recommendation
Yes: 7 • No: 1
Actions Timeline
Governor Signed
3/18/2026House/ to Governor
3/16/2026HouseHouse/ received enrolled bill from Printing
3/16/2026HouseHouse/ enrolled bill to Printing
3/12/2026HouseEnrolled Bill Returned to House or Senate
3/12/2026Draft of Enrolled Bill Prepared
3/7/2026Bill Received from House for Enrolling
3/7/2026House/ signed by Speaker/ sent for enrolling
3/6/2026HouseHouse/ received from Senate
3/6/2026HouseSenate/ to House
3/6/2026SenateSenate/ signed by President/ returned to House
3/6/2026SenateSenate/ received from House
3/6/2026SenateHouse/ to Senate
3/6/2026HouseHouse/ concurs with Senate amendment
3/6/2026HouseHouse/ placed on Concurrence Calendar
3/5/2026HouseHouse/ received from Senate
3/5/2026HouseSenate/ to House with amendments
3/5/2026SenateSenate/ passed 2nd & 3rd readings/ suspension
3/5/2026SenateSenate/ uncircled
3/5/2026SenateSenate/ circled
3/5/2026SenateSenate/ 2nd & 3rd readings/ suspension
3/5/2026SenateSenate/ placed on 2nd Reading Calendar
3/5/2026SenateSenate/ Rules to 2nd Reading Calendar
3/5/2026SenateSenate/ returned to Rules
3/4/2026SenateSenate/ placed on 2nd Reading Calendar
3/2/2026Senate
Bill Text
Enrolled
3/12/2026
Substitute #2
2/26/2026
Substitute #1
2/17/2026
Introduced
2/5/2026