NOTE: Part II eff. July 1, 2026. See Acts 2025, No. 481, §2.

PART II. PROTECTION OF CHILDREN ON APPLICATIONS

§1771. Definitions

             As used in this Part, the following terms have the following meanings:

            (1) "Age category" means one of the following categories of individuals based on age:

            (a) "Child" means an individual who is under thirteen years old.

            (b) "Younger teenager" means an individual who is at least thirteen years old and under sixteen years old.

            (c) "Older teenager" means an individual who is at least sixteen years old and under eighteen years old.

            (d) "Adult" means an individual who is at least eighteen years old.

            (2) "Age category data" means information about a user's age that is collected by a covered application store provider and shared with a developer.

            (3) "Age rating" means a classification that provides an assessment of the suitability of an application's content for different age groups.

            (4) "Application" means a software program that is designed to run on a connected device or a mobile device.

            (5) "Connected device" means a smartphone, tablet, computer, gaming console, or virtual reality device that enables users to connect to the internet and download software applications.

            (6) "Content description" means a description of the specific content elements that informed an application's age rating.

            (7) "Covered application store" means a publicly available website, software application, or electronic service that allows users to download applications from third-party developers onto a mobile device.

            (8) "Covered application store provider" means a person who owns, operates, or controls a covered application store that allows users in this state to download applications.

            (9) "Developer" means a person who owns or controls an application made available through a covered application store in this state.

            (10) "Minor" means an individual under the age of eighteen and is not emancipated or married.

            (11) "Minor account" means an account with a covered application store provider that is established by an individual who the covered application store provider has determined is under eighteen years of age, and is not emancipated or married, through the covered application store provider's age verification methods and requires affiliation with a parent account.

            (12) "Mobile device" means a phone or general purpose tablet that does all of the following:

            (a) Provides cellular or wireless connectivity.

            (b) Is capable of connecting to the internet.

            (c) Runs a mobile operating system.

            (d) Is capable of running applications through the mobile operating system.

            (13) "Mobile operating system" means software that does all of the following:

            (a) Manages mobile device hardware resources.

            (b) Provides common services for mobile device programs.

            (c) Controls memory allocation.

            (d) Provides interfaces for applications to access device functionality.

            (14) "Parent" means, with respect to a minor, individuals who have legal authority to make decisions on behalf of the minor.

            (15) "Parent account" means an account with a covered application store provider that is both of the following:

            (a) Is verified to be established by an individual whom the covered application store provider has determined is at least eighteen years old through the covered application store provider's age verification methods.

            (b) May be affiliated with one or more minor accounts.

            (16) "Parental consent disclosure" means the following information that a covered application store provider is required to provide to a parent before obtaining parental consent:

            (a) If the covered application store provider has an age rating for the application or in-application purchase, the application's or in-application purchase's age rating.

            (b) If the covered application store provider has a content description for the application or in-application purchase, the application's or in-application's content description.

            (c) A description of:

            (i) The personal data collected by an application from a user.

            (ii) The personal data shared by the application with a third party.

            (d) If personal data is collected by the application, the methods implemented by the developer to protect the personal data.

            (17) "Significant change" means a material modification to an application's terms of service or privacy policy that:

            (a) Changes the categories of data collected, stored, or shared.

            (b) Alters the application's age rating or content descriptions.

            (c) Adds new monetization features, including in-application purchases and advertisements.

            (d) Materially changes the application's functionality or user experience.

            (18) "Verifiable parental consent" means authorization that is all of the following:

            (a) Is provided by an individual who a covered application store provider has verified is an adult.

            (b) Is given after the covered application store provider has clearly and conspicuously provided the parental consent disclosure to the individual.

            (c) Requires the parent to make an affirmative choice to grant consent or decline consent.

            Acts 2025, No. 481, §2, eff. July 1, 2026.