A Republican bill with 2 Democratic cosponsors · See all 3 cosponsors
Last activity — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
In committee
Introduced and handed to a committee in the chamber it started in.
The committee holds it, and most bills are never heard from again. A hearing or a committee vote would be news; silence is the usual outcome, and it kills the bill without anyone voting against it.
Its path through Congress
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The Parents Over Platforms Act focuses on improving age verification and protection for minors within the mobile app ecosystem. It requires application distribution providers to ask for user ages and provide an "age signal" to app developers. Developers must use this information to prevent minors from accessing adult-only content and are prohibited from delivering personalized advertising to minors. The bill also gives parents tools to block certain apps and access safety information. The Federal Trade Commission is tasked with enforcing these rules.
Yes· 3 of 7
- Scored +7
Does this put more rules on large technology companies?
The bill imposes specific compliance requirements on mobile application distribution providers and app developers regarding age assurance.
- Scored +7
Would children be better off under this?
The bill directly benefits minors by increasing parental controls, restricting targeted advertising, and enhancing online safety.
- Scored +6
Does this give people more control over their personal data?
The bill protects minors by restricting data sharing for age signals and prohibiting personalized advertising to children.
The opposite
- Scored -5
Does this leave more decisions to the states?
The bill contains an express preemption clause that prevents states from enforcing their own laws related to the Act's provisions.
- Scored -3
Would business owners be better off under this?
App developers and distribution providers face new compliance burdens, liabilities, and restrictions on advertising.
- Scored -2
Would people in their twenties and thirties be better off under this?
Young adults and older users may face extra verification hurdles or restrictions when trying to access certain age-gated applications.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Protection from Personalized Ads: Developers are prohibited from delivering personalized advertising to minors, which limits how their data is used for targeted ads (Section 102(b)(1)(F)).
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Parental Control Tools: Application distribution providers must allow parents to stop their children from getting or using specific covered applications (Section 102(a)(1)(A)).
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Access to Safety Information: Developers must provide parents with information on privacy and online safety settings for apps that minors are allowed to use (Section 102(b)(1)(B)).
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Restricting Adult Content: Developers must make a reasonable effort to ensure minors cannot participate in activities restricted to adults and must get consent before minors access content designated as unsuitable for them (Section 102(b)(1)(D)-(E)).
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Privacy Protections: Developers are forbidden from using age signals to try and obtain a user's specific date of birth and cannot share age information with third parties unless it is for safety, privacy, or legal reasons (Section 102(b)(1)(G)-(H)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
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Loss of State-Level Protections: The bill prevents any state or local government from enforcing their own laws or regulations related to the provisions of this Act (Section 203).
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Liability Gaps for Providers: Application distribution providers are not held liable for providing an incorrect age signal if they made a good faith effort to comply (Section 201(a)).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Tap or hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Education And Technology
- Does this put more rules on large technology companies? — The bill imposes specific compliance requirements on mobile application distribution providers and app developers regarding age assurance. Does this give people more control over their personal data? — The bill protects minors by restricting data sharing for age signals and prohibiting personalized advertising to children.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Would children be better off under this? — The bill directly benefits minors by increasing parental controls, restricting targeted advertising, and enhancing online safety. Would students be better off under this? — School-age children and students benefit from enhanced digital safety rules and parental oversight on mobile apps. Would business owners be better off under this? — App developers and distribution providers face new compliance burdens, liabilities, and restrictions on advertising. Would people in their twenties and thirties be better off under this? — Young adults and older users may face extra verification hurdles or restrictions when trying to access certain age-gated applications.
- Economy And Finance
- Does this give people more protection from unfair business practices? — The bill provides protections for minors by restricting personalized advertising and establishing age verification standards.
- Governance And Ideology
- Does this protect people from being watched or searched? — The bill introduces robust restrictions on handling minor age data and bans personalized targeted advertising for minors. Does this give the federal government more power? — The legislation grants enforcement authority to the Federal Trade Commission and explicitly preempts state laws relating to age assurance provisions. Does this leave more decisions to the states? — The bill contains an express preemption clause that prevents states from enforcing their own laws related to the Act's provisions.
- 9/14/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 6/4/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 4/20/2026
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- Introduced in Senate
One bill Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
Jacky RosenDemocrat · Nevada
Dan SullivanRepublican · Alaska
Peter WelchDemocrat · Vermont