Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) is set to introduce the “Empowering Parents to Protect Their Children’s Devices Act” next week, which would require Apple and Google to verify users’ ages before they download potentially harmful apps, The Post has learned.
This means that parents, if they want, could meaningfully restrict the content their kids can access on their devices at the operating system level.
Right now, a child can access TikTok, Instagram, or an AI companion chatbot just by entering a fake birthday — and in fact, most do.
A majority of kids under 13 are already on social media despite age requirements — and studies show they average more than three social media accounts each, according to a copy of the bill.
Gottheimer’s legislation would aim to change that by requiring iPhone and Android operating systems to block certain apps entirely rather than relying on the current patchwork of app-by-app restrictions that kids routinely bypass.
“This would address the suicide issue with AI chatbots — it would be the only way at this point to truly prevent your child from accessing content you don’t want them to see,” Gottheimer, who is also co-chair of the House AI Commission, told The Post late Wednesday night.
This comes as more than 72% of teens now use AI companions, and one in three say conversations with those chatbots are just as satisfying — or more satisfying — than talking to a real friend, according to Common Sense Media. One in three also say they’ve discussed serious personal matters with an AI instead of a person in their lives.
The bill isn’t the first attempt at child online safety legislation. While other efforts have focused on content moderation and platform liability, Gottheimer argued his approach takes a different tack: requiring age verification at the device level before children can even see potentially harmful apps.
“You need multiple layers of protecting kids, and this is device and operating system-based,” he explained.
The legislation would also require the Federal Trade Commission to set enforceable standards for how age verification data flows to third-party app developers — and how to handle devices shared among siblings of different ages.
Violations could carry civil penalties of up to $50,000 per incident.
The legislation comes amid growing alarm over AI chatbots pushing teenagers toward self-harm and children spending hours on platforms they were never supposed to access.
Gottheimer, a father himself, said the bill — which already has bipartisan support — grew out of frustration with how difficult it currently is for parents to navigate their kids’ digital lives.
“As a dad, I can tell you how complicated this is,” he said.
