Ohio lawmakers will try again to pass age verification provisions regulating major technology companies, this time targeting application stores rather than individual apps.
Sen. Michele Reynolds (R-Canal Winchester) and Rep. Melanie Miller (R-Ashland) introduced and its identical House version earlier this week. As of Thursday, the House bill had yet to be assigned a number.
鈥淲hat we鈥檙e creating is a partnership that works for families鈥攁pp stores verify age and obtain parental consent, app developers create safer experiences based on what that verified information is,鈥� Reynolds said Thursday.
If an app is 鈥渓ikely to be accessed by children,鈥� app stores would have to obtain parental permission prior to letting Ohioans 16 years or younger download the app, according to SB 167. Stores would verify user ages through a user鈥檚 device.
Reynolds and Miller鈥檚 bills were written 鈥渢o address constitutional concerns that have arisen with other online safety laws,鈥� Reynolds said.
鈥淲hile the 鈥榳hat鈥� may be the same, the 鈥榟ow鈥� is different,鈥� she said.
A similar statute, the , passed as part of the state budget in summer 2023, mandating social media and gaming sites get parental permission before letting Ohioans 16 or younger onto their platforms.
It was set to take effect last January but has been on hold over a lawsuit filed by the internet trade association NetChoice. The federal judge overseeing that case has yet to issue a ruling on whether to permanently prevent the law from going into effect, a NetChoice spokesperson wrote in an email Thursday.
NetChoice argued in court filings that it was too broad and violated the First and Fourteenth Amendments. NetChoice members include Facebook and Instagram parent Meta Platforms, Snapchat parent Snap Inc., and TikTok, among other big names in technology.
Several interests, including the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation, Center for Christian Virtue, and the Ohio Fraternal Order of Police, have already come out and backed the new bills.
Tony Coder, the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation executive director, said it鈥檚 not to make social media out as the enemy.
鈥淎t the same time, however, it is undeniable that the pervasive presence of social media has brought about significant challenges to the mental health, well-being of young people,鈥� Coder said.
Both bills await an initial hearing.