By: NICOLAS FIERRO
Salina Post
Constituents from Salina gathered Tuesday at the State Capitol for the House Committee on Federal and State Affairs hearing of Senate Bill 372 “App Store Accountability Act,” regulating app store and developer operations with respect to minors, create requirements for age verification and parental consent.
The requirements for this bill needs verification of age and obtains parental consent before minors under the age of 18 can download apps.
Any violations are protected under the Kansas Consumer Protection Act (KCPA).
Additionally, app stores must provide verified data to enforce age related restrictions.
Most Family and Child safety organizations are in full support of this bill.
Kansas Family Voice being one of them, stated 82% of parents are in full support of this bill with 85% seeing it easier to provide approval in one centralized location like an app store.
Supporters have stated the following:
- Protecting children from harmful content.
- App stores should function like liquor stores and tobacco sellers, which verifies a person’s age before any purchase.
Opponents have stated the following:
- Government oversight.
- Facial recognition.
- Biometric scans.
- Submitting sensitive information.
- Free speech concerns.
Other criticisms include this bill may not event protect children, as there are other ways of access that could be done by bypassing the system and using web browsers.
Moreover, critics have stated parental tools already exist and this bill is unnecessary to adopt.
The bill also enables the Attorney General to seek civil penalties of at least $7,500 per violation on app stores, if they fail to follow guidelines of the KCPA.
Jay Vanier, who recently filed to run for the 71st District State Representative attended the hearing. He gave his comments on his support for this bill
"As policymakers continue to evaluate how the digital marketplace affects minors, I believe the legislature has a responsibility to ensure that basic parental safeguards exist in environments where children are interacting directly with large technology platforms."
He further brought up that states such as Texas, Utah, Louisiana, and California have already pursued similar protections.
"These laws give parents a single place to manage and approve what their children download instead of forcing every individual app to implement separate safeguards," said Vanier. "Regarding privacy and data security, companies such as Apple and Google already collect extensive amounts of user data as part of operating their platforms. SB372 does not create that environment, it establishes accountability for the digital gatekeepers that already control app distribution. The legislative process provides an opportunity to strengthen transparency and safeguards around how any required information is handled."
Representatives comments during the hearing
Rep. Sean Willcott brought forth an amendment on Tuesday on ways to protect data collection for age verification purposes.
He stated the amendment would require all the data of personalized information or identification to be deleted, once an age has been successfully submitted.
Rep. Heather Meyer stated she supported the amendment, but does not think it makes the bill “any less terrifying.”
Rep. Rebecca Schmoe voiced a problem she had with the data collection of the bill.
She stated the amendment of protecting data collection is opening the door for “dracula.”
“Every step of that is moving ourselves in a direction where we can’t go back and rein them in," she said. "We won't have footing to come back later and rein them in and the worst part is that we are giving permission for data collection to be sent to certain entities, but others will be using it."
Rep. Bob Lewis added onto Schmoe's comments by saying it is “naive” to think app stores don’t already know your age or name.
“What is the point of this bill?” added Meyer.
Rep. Brooklynne Mosley responded to Lewis' comment by saying it is “flawed logic.”
“That is like saying: people are already stealing, so why lock our doors?” said Mosley.
The amendment successfully passed after a vote.
Rep. Steven Howe who voted "no" for SB 372 stated his concerns.
"While the bill seeks to protect children, it is inconsistent. It creates a far-reaching mandate for mobile devices but ignores laptops, desktops, gaming consoles, and Smart TVs—the very places children spend much of their time. Furthermore, the bill language is vague, requiring age verification through 'commercially available methods' or rules yet to be written by the Attorney General. This lack of clarity is an invitation for confusion and inconsistent enforcement. As a father of five, I know that robust parental control tools already exist on nearly every platform. We must never forget that it is ultimately the responsibility of parents to raise and oversee their children. SB 372 represents a significant government overreach that threatens to encroach upon those fundamental parental rights."
SB 372 will now await to be heard on the House floor.