Will an Alabama 15-year-old still be able to download a new game without a parent’s say-so after the new year? Under a state law set to take effect Jan. 1, 2027, the answer is no: app stores must get verifiable parental consent before anyone under 18 downloads or buys an app.
The law is House Bill 161, the App Store Accountability Act, signed by Gov. Kay Ivey in February 2026. A trade group has since sued to block it, so the start date is not certain, but no court ruling stopping the law turned up in reports available as of Nov. 9.
What Parents Will Be Asked to Approve
Under the act, a minor’s app store account has to be linked to a verified parent account. Consent is needed for downloads, app purchases and in-app purchases, according to the law firm Hunton’s summary, and parents can withdraw that consent later. The law defines a minor as anyone under 18.
Families already sorting out phone rules at home may recognize the tension, and a look back at small rituals from the ’80s and ’90s shows how different childhood used to be. A court decision on Ohio’s limits for kids’ social media and a piece on hard truths about raising kids in the social media age show how common the debate has become. A guide to gentle parenting offers another angle on setting limits without constant conflict, and tips on work-life balance speak to the time crunch that often sits behind screen-time fights.
Alabama Sen. Clyde Chambliss said children have “come across content that their mind was not ready to receive,” according to 1819 News. Ivey was quoted there describing the protection of children as a responsibility rather than an option. Rep. Chris Sells sponsored the bill. For households that spend cooler evenings indoors, a project like elevated winter garden beds is one way to give children something to do away from a screen.
Four Age Groups, One Verification Step
App stores must ask users for an age category at account creation and sort them into four groups: under 13, 13 to 15, 16 to 17, and 18 and older. The stores have to verify age using commercially reasonable methods or methods set by the Alabama attorney general, Hunton reports.
The law firm Loeb & Loeb described the measure as the fourth state app store accountability act, following earlier versions in Texas, Utah and Louisiana. Loeb noted that Alabama’s version also reaches pre-installed apps, which the earlier three did not. Another school-focused rule, Michigan’s classroom smartphone ban, shows states acting from several directions at once, as does a New Jersey requirement to limit phone use during the school day.
Accounts That Already Exist
The rule is not limited to new accounts. Loeb says stores have until Oct. 1, 2027, to verify age and obtain consent for minors on accounts created before Oct. 2, 2026. That makes Alabama’s version retroactive, unlike the earlier laws, which applied only to accounts created after their effective dates.
Developers have duties too. When an app changes in a significant way, such as a revised privacy policy or new monetization, they must tell the app store so renewed parental consent can be collected for minors. Age data may be requested no more than once every 12 months in most cases, according to Hunton. The law also requires stores to limit and encrypt the age data they collect.
Nothing in the law changes what children can do on websites or on devices outside the app store. Its reach is the app marketplace, which is why the sources describe it as an app store law rather than a general social media rule.
Who Enforces It and the Court Challenge
Wiley’s summary adds that the Alabama act largely tracks Louisiana’s and lets the attorney general adopt age verification rules through rulemaking. That means some of the practical details, such as which verification methods count as acceptable, could still be spelled out before the law starts.
The Alabama attorney general enforces the act. Knowing or reckless violations are treated as deceptive trade practices, and the law does not create a private right of action, Hunton says. A fine amount is not spelled out in the sources reviewed. The amendment filed with the legislature gives the attorney general exclusive jurisdiction to bring an action and sets out a safe harbor for app stores that use due care in verifying age.
The Computer & Communications Industry Association said in an October listing on its site that it has sued over the Alabama law, arguing it violates First Amendment protections. The court and filing date were not stated there. Similar fights are playing out elsewhere: the law firm Wiley reports that a federal appeals court let Texas’s version take effect during an appeal after a district court had blocked it.
Utah’s compliance date has moved to May 6, 2027, and Louisiana’s to July 1, 2027, so Alabama’s Jan. 1 date would be early among these laws. Families in the state may want to check the status closer to the new year, since a court order could change the timeline.
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This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.