SB 237 Virginia Senate · 2026 Regular Session

App Store Accountability Act; civil penalties, civil action.

Summary

App Store Accountability Act; civil penalties; civil action. Requires an app store provider, defined in the bill, to verify the age category of an account holder, obtain verifiable parental consent for a minor account holder, and share such age category and consent information with the developer of an app, defined in the bill. The bill requires a developer to verify the age category of an account holder with a developer's app and notify app store providers of any significant change to a developer's app. The bill also requires a developer to provide a parental consent disclosure for each of its apps to each app store provider that makes the developer's app available on its app store, and such provider shall provide such disclosure on its app store. The bill allows the Attorney General and any minor or parent of a minor who suffers harm by reason of a violation of this bill to initiate an action. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2027.

Issues: ✓ Technology

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Jan 12, 2026 Last action Feb 4, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced → General Laws and Technology Substitute · 6 edits

MODERATE

The bill was amended from its original introduced version to a General Laws and Technology Committee substitute version. The primary substantive changes involve refining definitions, expanding the scope of who qualifies as a 'parent,' and adding a new definition for 'age category data.' These modifications aim to clarify responsibilities and ensure broader applicability of the App Store Accountability Act provisions.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains focused on regulating app store providers and developers regarding age verification and parental consent, but the definitions have been expanded to include guardians and custodians under the 'parent' definition, broadening who can provide consent for minors.

DEFINITION

The definition of 'Parent' was expanded to include legal guardians, individuals with legal custody, or anyone with legal authority to make decisions for a minor, not just biological parents.

A new definition for 'Age category data' was added to clarify that this refers to age information collected by app store providers and shared with developers.

The definition of 'Age rating' was simplified to focus on assessing suitability for different age groups, removing specific age category references from the definition itself.

The definition of 'Parental consent disclosure' was updated to conditionally include age ratings and content descriptions only if the app store provider has them, rather than requiring them for all apps.

A new definition for 'Knowingly' was added to clarify that it means acting with actual knowledge or knowledge inferred from objective circumstances.

TECHNICAL

The document format changed from an introduced bill to a substitute amendment with line numbers and committee markup, indicating it has been reviewed and modified by the Senate Committee on General Laws and Technology.

Floor votes

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Full legislative history

Actions timeline

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Key actions

Committee

Feb 4, 2026

Upper · Passed

Senate committee offered

upper

Jan 12, 2026

Committee

Referred to Committee on General Laws and Technology

upper

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors