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HB 498UTAHSession 2026State BillSigned into law
Enacted

Utah Amends App Store Accountability Act to Require Age Verification and Parental Consent Starting in May 2027

Original title: Utah App Store Accountability Act Amendments

Last action · March 18, 2026: Governor SignedSponsors: Jim Dunnigan and 1 other

Bill progressHistory & official text ↓
Introduced
Committee
Floor Vote
Passed
Law

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What This Bill Does

Beginning May 6, 2027, app store providers and app developers operating in Utah must collect age category data, verify user ages, require parent accounts for minors, and obtain before minors can download or purchase apps. The law also establishes civil penalties of at least $1,000 per violation for harmed minors or parents and creates protections for companies that rely in good faith on provided age data.

Why it matters

Tech companies and app developers must overhaul their account creation and data-sharing systems to verify user ages and secure parental consent, while families gain the legal right to sue for at least $1,000 per violation plus attorney fees if statutory rules are broken.

Who It Affects

Groups the bill's text affects, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.

Directly affected

minors

Individuals under 18 must have parental consent and verified accounts linked to a parent account to download apps, make purchases, or access certain app features.

Directly affected

parents

Parents must provide verifiable consent for minor accounts, can customize safety settings, and gain the right to sue for statutory damages if violations occur.

Directly affected

app store providers

App store providers must implement age verification systems, manage parent-minor account linkages, share age category data with developers, and protect verification data with encryption.

Directly affected

developers

App developers must verify age category data through app stores, notify users of significant changes, apply default safety settings based on age categories, and respect parental consent revocations.

Key Facts

  • App store providers and developers must verify user age categories and obtain verifiable parental consent before allowing minors to download, purchase, or make in-app purchases, starting May 6, 2027.
  • Minors are defined as individuals under 18 years old who are not emancipated or married, categorized into children under 13, younger teenagers (13-15), and older teenagers (16-17).
  • App stores must require minor accounts to be affiliated with a verified adult parent account.
  • Developers must use the lowest age category indicated by verification data when initially implementing safety-related features or defaults.
Show all 8 facts
  • A harmed minor or their parent may bring a civil action against an app store provider or developer for statutory violations, recovering the greater of actual damages or $1,000 per violation plus attorney fees and litigation costs.
  • Developers receive safe harbor from liability if they act in good faith, rely on age category data and parental consent notifications from app store providers, and comply with statutory requirements.
  • Emergency service apps, government-operated apps, and non-profit or crisis hotline apps that do not require account creation or excessive personal data collection are exempt from parental consent requirements.
  • Pre-installed applications are subject to specific requirements regarding age category sharing and parental consent facilitation, excluding core operating system functions and emergency tools.

Frequently Asked Questions

When do these new app store accountability requirements take effect?
The obligations for app store providers and developers take effect on May 6, 2027.
What happens if an app store or developer violates these rules?
A minor or their parent who has been harmed by a violation may bring a civil action and be awarded the greater of actual damages or $1,000 per violation, along with reasonable attorney fees and litigation costs.
Are emergency apps and crisis hotlines required to obtain parental consent?
No, apps that provide direct access to emergency services, crisis hotlines, or emergency assistance without requiring account creation or unnecessary personal data are exempt from parental consent rules.

What else do you want to know?

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Where This Stands

Current status: Signed into law.

Procedural history

58 actions
  1. Mar 18, 2026Lieutenant Governor's office for filingEnrolled
    Governor Signed
  2. Mar 16, 2026House
    House/ to Governor
  3. Mar 16, 2026House
    House/ received enrolled bill from Printing
  4. Mar 12, 2026House
    House/ enrolled bill to Printing
  5. Mar 12, 2026Clerk of the House
    Enrolled Bill Returned to House or Senate
  6. Mar 7, 2026Legislative Research and General Counsel / Enrolling
    Draft of Enrolled Bill Prepared
Show 52 earlier actions
  1. Mar 7, 2026Legislative Research and General Counsel / Enrolling
    Bill Received from House for Enrolling
  2. Mar 6, 2026House
    House/ signed by Speaker/ sent for enrolling
  3. Mar 6, 2026House
    House/ received from Senate
  4. Mar 6, 2026Senate
    Senate/ to House
  5. Mar 6, 2026Senate
    Senate/ signed by President/ returned to House
  6. Mar 6, 2026Senate
    Senate/ received from House
  7. Mar 6, 2026House
    House/ to Senate
  8. Mar 6, 2026House
    House/ concurs with Senate amendment
  9. Mar 5, 2026House
    House/ placed on Concurrence Calendar
  10. Mar 5, 2026House
    House/ received from Senate
  11. Mar 5, 2026Senate
    Senate/ to House with amendments
  12. Mar 5, 2026SenateFloor
    Senate/ passed 2nd & 3rd readings/ suspension
  13. Mar 5, 2026Senate
    Senate/ uncircled
  14. Mar 5, 2026Senate
    Senate/ circled
  15. Mar 5, 2026Senate
    Senate/ 2nd & 3rd readings/ suspension
  16. Mar 5, 2026Senate
    Senate/ placed on 2nd Reading Calendar
  17. Mar 5, 2026Senate
    Senate/ Rules to 2nd Reading Calendar
  18. Mar 4, 2026Senate
    Senate/ returned to Rules
  19. Mar 2, 2026Senate
    Senate/ placed on 2nd Reading Calendar
  20. Mar 2, 2026Senate
    Senate/ comm rpt/ substituted
  21. Feb 27, 2026Senate
    Senate Comm - Favorable Recommendation
  22. Feb 27, 2026Senate
    Senate Comm - Substitute Recommendation
  23. Feb 27, 2026Released
    LFA/ fiscal note publicly available for HB0498S02
  24. Feb 27, 2026Version Sponsor
    LFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for HB0498S02
  25. Feb 26, 2026Legislative Fiscal Agency
    LFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for HB0498S02
  26. Feb 26, 2026Legislative Fiscal Analyst
    LFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for HB0498S02
  27. Feb 26, 2026SenateCommittee
    Senate/ to standing committee
  28. Feb 25, 2026SenateIntroduced
    Senate/ 1st reading (Introduced)
  29. Feb 24, 2026Senate
    Senate/ received from House
  30. Feb 24, 2026House
    House/ to Senate
  31. Feb 24, 2026HouseFloor
    House/ passed 3rd reading
  32. Feb 24, 2026House
    House/ uncircled
  33. Feb 24, 2026House
    House/ circled
  34. Feb 24, 2026House
    House/ 3rd reading
  35. Feb 19, 2026House
    House/ 2nd reading
  36. Feb 19, 2026House
    House/ comm rpt/ substituted
  37. Feb 18, 2026House
    House Comm - Favorable Recommendation
  38. Feb 18, 2026House
    House Comm - Substitute Recommendation
  39. Feb 17, 2026Released
    LFA/ fiscal note publicly available for HB0498S01
  40. Feb 17, 2026Version Sponsor
    LFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for HB0498S01
  41. Feb 17, 2026Legislative Fiscal Agency
    LFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for HB0498S01
  42. Feb 17, 2026Legislative Fiscal Analyst
    LFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for HB0498S01
  43. Feb 12, 2026HouseCommittee
    House/ to standing committee
  44. Feb 11, 2026House
    House/ received fiscal note from Fiscal Analyst
  45. Feb 11, 2026Released
    LFA/ fiscal note publicly available for HB0498
  46. Feb 6, 2026Version Sponsor
    LFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for HB0498
  47. Feb 5, 2026HouseIntroduced
    House/ 1st reading (Introduced)
  48. Feb 5, 2026House
    House/ received bill from Legislative Research
  49. Feb 5, 2026Legislative Fiscal Agency
    LFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for HB0498
  50. Feb 5, 2026Legislative Fiscal Analyst
    LFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for HB0498
  51. Feb 5, 2026Legislative Research and General Counsel
    Numbered Bill Publicly Distributed
  52. Feb 5, 2026Legislative Research and General Counsel
    Bill Numbered but not Distributed

Version history

Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.

View official text →

Lobbying Activity

No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.

Full breakdown

Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.

Sponsors

Jim DunniganHouse · District 36RepublicanPrimary sponsor
Todd WeilerSenate · District 8RepublicanCosponsor

Discoveries

1 pattern noticed across the record

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift95% confidence

Expanded Civil Enforcement for Minor App Safety

The legislation expands civil enforcement mechanisms, allowing parents and minors to sue app stores and developers directly for statutory violations, backed by a $1,000 per-violation statutory minimum floor.

Division of Consumer Protection

Connected Entities

Division of Consumer Protection, James A. Dunnigan, Todd Weiler
OrganizationDivision of Consumer Protection“State division established in Section 13-2-1”Map →
PersonJames A. Dunnigan“Chief Sponsor of the bill”Map →
PersonTodd Weiler“Senate Sponsor of the bill”Map →

Sources

Open source document

le.utah.gov

Analysis Score

0–100
  • Significance75
    How much this matters to a regular citizen
  • Controversy60
    Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
  • Entertainment10
    Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
  • Buzz45
    Current news / social attention level

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