US Congress to consider App Store age verification measures

1. VPN
2. VPN Privacy & Security

US Congress to consider App Store age verification measures News By Chiara Castro published 2 December 2025

The bill is set to be discussed among a larger set of proposals focused on child safety online

Comments (0) ()

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: Shutterstock / Tada Images)

• US Congress to discuss the App Store Accountability Act on December 2
• Pinterest, Meta and X support the bill, but Apple and Google have concerns
• Congress is discussing a total of 19 bills focused on child safety online

Lawmakers around the world have been busy strengthening children's online safety in 2025, and the US is no different.

So far US States have taken the matter into their hands – Missouri being the latest to enforce its age verification law – with Congress lagging behind. Yet, lawmakers are keen to catch up on a federal level and are set to discuss a large set of proposals focused on child safety today.

Among these, the App Store Accountability Act (ASA) is worrying Apple and Google, despite having granted support from the likes of Meta, X, and now Pinterest.

You may like

• “A broad censorship regime" - Big Tech and students hit Texas age verification law with legal complaints
• Apple, Google required to provide digital ID tools under Missouri age verification law – but are they ready?
• "The Michigan bill is a danger for the political discourse" – Proton slams verification laws turning VPNs into a liability

Following the path of Utah, Texas, and California, the bill was introduced in May by Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) and Rep. John James (R-MI), and seeks to shift the responsibility on to the App Store's providers. Under the legislation, Google and Apple will be in charge of providing safeguards for minors, including verifying their age in a privacy-preserving way and limiting access to apps if deemed too young.

Apple and Google, however, have expressed concerns about the level of data sharing that ASA and similar laws require. "These proposals introduce new risks to the privacy of minors, without actually addressing the harms that are inspiring lawmakers to act," wrote Google.

It's also unclear how these requirements will be upheld in Court, as Texas's app store age verification law (which is expected in January 2026) is being challenged with two lawsuits.

What's certain is that if ASA passes, it will become significantly harder for people to use a virtual private network (VPN) or similar tools to protect their data and bypass the rules.

19 children safety's bills to be discussed

(Image credit: natureaddict / Pixabay)

ASA is far from the only bill currently under consideration. The House Energy and Commerce subcommittee is hearing a total of 19 proposals on this topic today. These include another controversial bill, the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), after it made a comeback in Congress in May.

Experts at the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) have warned that this proposal – which would require online service providers to shield minors from a huge array of harms online – could end up making the internet worse for everyone.

"Lawmakers who support KOSA today are choosing to trust the current administration, and future administrations, to define what youth – and to some degree, all of us – should be allowed to read online," they wrote.

Another bill scheduled to be discussed is the SCREEN Act, or Shielding Children's Retinas from Egregious Exposure on the Net. This follows similar rules implemented in some States and targets the introduction of age verification measures for adult-only websites and apps.

While federal guidelines could fix what experts have called a "state-by-state legal mess," familiar issues around people's privacy, data security, and right to free speech will remain. We'll wait and see if lawmakers manage to strike the right balance, this time.

Today's best NordVPN, Surfshark, Proton VPN and ExpressVPN deals+3 MONTHS FREENordVPN 2 Year US$2.99/mthView+3 months freeSurfshark 24 Months US$1.99/mthViewProton VPN 24 Month US$2.49/mthView+4 MONTHS FREEExpressVPN 24 month US$3.49/mthViewWe check over 250 million products every day for the best prices Disclaimer

We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone using a VPN service to break the law or conduct illegal activities. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.

Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!

TOPICS NordVPN Chiara CastroSocial Links NavigationNews Editor (Tech Software)

Chiara is a multimedia journalist committed to covering stories to help promote the rights and denounce the abuses of the digital side of life – wherever cybersecurity, markets, and politics tangle up. She believes an open, uncensored, and private internet is a basic human need and wants to use her knowledge of VPNs to help readers take back control. She writes news, interviews, and analysis on data privacy, online censorship, digital rights, tech policies, and security software, with a special focus on VPNs, for TechRadar and TechRadar Pro. Got a story, tip-off, or something tech-interesting to say? Reach out to [email protected]

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.

Logout Read more “A broad censorship regime" - Big Tech and students hit Texas age verification law with legal complaints    Apple, Google required to provide digital ID tools under Missouri age verification law – but are they ready?    "The Michigan bill is a danger for the political discourse" – Proton slams verification laws turning VPNs into a liability    Is your data safe? Google's new Play Store age checks raise privacy questions    Wisconsin wants to force all adult sites to block VPNs with a new age verification bill – here's everything we know    VPN usage at risk in Michigan under new proposed adult content law    Latest in VPN Privacy & Security Age verification or censorship? Missouri's new rules are age-gating way more than adult sites    LaLiga football streaming behind Cloudflare weekend outages as Spaniards turn to Proton VPN    Missouri search for VPNs quadruples as age verification laws kick in    VPN support lands on next-gen Amazon Fire TV Sticks – but only two VPNs are ready    Apple, Google required to provide digital ID tools under Missouri age verification law – but are they ready?    Europe tops the charts in digital security – but the UK might be quickly falling behind, says Surfshark    Latest in News Yes, Elden Ring Nightreign - The Forsaken Hollows DLC will be harder than the base game, but it will still be fair to players    Milly Alcock reveals why she panicked after securing Supergirl role    How to watch Dancing With The Holidays on Fubo (it's free)    Free open-world RPG Where Winds Meet finally hits mobile next week after a successful PC and PS5 launch    How to watch What is the Monachy for? on BBC iplayer (it's *FREE*)    US Congress to consider App Store age verification measures    LATEST ARTICLES

1. 1Yes, Elden Ring Nightreign - The Forsaken Hollows DLC will be harder than the base game, but it will still be fair to players
2. 2'What have I done?': Supergirl star Milly Alcock reveals why she had a very visceral reaction to being cast in the DCU
3. 3I get why some people are suddenly freaking out about AI agents in Windows 11 – I'm worried, too, but let's not panic just yet
4. 4Instagram CEO issues full-time return to office order
5. 5Free open-world RPG Where Winds Meet finally hits mobile next week after a successful PC and PS5 launch