House Bill 931 establishes new regulations aimed at enhancing age verification measures for accessing materials deemed harmful to minors. It introduces a new section, 282.803, which defines key terms such as "application store," "child," "covered application," and "covered manufacturer." Starting January 1, 2026, developers of applications must assess the likelihood of their applications being accessed by children and notify application stores accordingly. They are also required to provide parental controls to manage children's usage. Covered manufacturers must implement age verification measures upon device activation and ensure compliance with these requirements. The bill amends section 501.1737 to update definitions and mandates the use of digital age verification methods, allowing the Department of Legal Affairs to enforce compliance with civil penalties for violations.

Additionally, the bill outlines that commercial entities must provide both anonymous and standard age verification methods, while exempting certain entities like news organizations and internet service providers from these regulations. It requires covered manufacturers to include age verification features in operating systems and application updates by July 1, 2026, and mandates that websites hosting harmful materials block access for users under 18. The legislation emphasizes uniform application of age verification standards across platforms and prohibits anti-competitive use of third-party data. The act is set to take effect on July 1, 2025.

Statutes affected:
H 931 Filed: 501.1737