SB467: SB467 Minors; procedures to validate the age of certain persons using any app; require

Georgia law currently has no requirement that app stores check a user's age or get parental sign-off before a minor downloads an app. This bill would add a new chapter to Title 39 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated creating such a system. App store providers would have to sort account holders into age categories (child, younger teenager, older teenager, or adult), link minors' accounts to a parent account, and get that parent's consent every time before a download, purchase, or in-app purchase. Developers would rely on age data shared by the app store to apply their own age-based restrictions, and could not enforce contracts against minors without verified parental consent. The bill limits how age data can be shared, sets liability protections for developers who act in good faith, and gives the Attorney General power to enforce violations like a deceptive business practice. Existing accounts must be verified by July 1, 2027.

• Requires app store providers to verify the age category of every account holder in Georgia, either through a commercial verification method or parental attestation for minors.
• Requires minor accounts to be linked to a parent account and requires parental consent before every app download, purchase, or in-app purchase.
• Requires app store providers to notify parents and get renewed consent when an app makes a significant change, such as adding in-app purchases or ads.
• Restricts how age category data and consent status can be shared, limiting collection to what is necessary and requiring encrypted data transmission.
• Gives the Georgia Attorney General authority to enforce the new chapter using the same powers as under the state's Fair Business Practices Act of 1975.
• Shields developers from liability if they show good-faith reliance on age data and consent information supplied by the app store.

App store providers such as Apple's App Store and Google Play, software developers who distribute apps through those stores, parents and guardians of minors, minor account holders themselves, and the Georgia Attorney General's office, which would enforce the new requirements.

Parents would gain a required checkpoint before their children can download apps or spend money in-app, while app stores and developers would face new verification, consent, and data-handling duties. Existing accounts must be brought into compliance by July 1, 2027, which could change how Georgians of all ages set up and use app accounts.

• Code Section 39-7-1 defines key terms including child (under 13), younger teenager (13-15), older teenager (16-17), and adult (18 and older), plus terms like parent account and parental consent.
• Code Section 39-7-2 requires app store providers to verify age category for every account by creation or, for existing accounts, no later than July 1, 2027, and to obtain parental consent before each minor download or purchase.
• Code Section 39-7-2 also bars app store providers from enforcing contracts against minors without consent, misrepresenting consent disclosures, or sharing age data beyond what the chapter allows.
• Code Section 39-7-3 sets developer duties to verify age category data through the app store, limits how often developers can request re-verification, and bars developers from sharing age data with other parties.
• Code Section 39-7-4 gives the Attorney General enforcement authority equivalent to that under Georgia's Fair Business Practices Act of 1975 (O.C.G.A. Title 10).
• Code Section 39-7-5 protects developers from liability for violations if they relied in good faith on age data and consent notices from the app store and used standard industry age-rating practices.
• Code Section 39-7-6 clarifies the chapter does not stop providers from taking measures against unlawful or obscene content and does not force removal of already-downloaded apps except in specific consent-revocation or significant-change situations.

1. 2026-02-06Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
2. 2026-02-05Senate Hopper (Senate)

• Bill Cowsert (R, SD-046)Primary sponsor
• Steve Gooch (R, SD-051)
• Bo Hatchett (R, SD-050)
• Randy Robertson (R, SD-029)
• Sam Watson (R, SD-011)
• Marty Harbin (R, SD-016)
• Chuck Hufstetler (R, SD-052)
• Chuck Payne (R, SD-054)
• Kay Kirkpatrick (R, SD-032)

• app age verification
• parental consent
• minors online safety
• app store regulation
• data privacy