Protecting children online should be a top priority for every developer, platform, and lawmaker. Developers recognize their role in addressing high-risk content, but broad, one-size-fits-all age verification mandates miss the nuance needed to protect kids effectively.
In our recent poll of 1000 app economy decision-makers, 94% believe apps that offer different experiences based on age should take primary responsibility for delivering age-appropriate user experiences. However, blanket mandates like the proposed App Store Accountability Act (ASAA) would put every developer on the line by requiring them to receive and store age data for every user, regardless of their app’s nature.
Treating a calculator app with the same level of scrutiny as a social media platform creates unnecessary costs, blocks innovation, and forces small apps to collect sensitive data they neither want nor need. Congress must reject broad mandates and instead support the Parents Over Platforms Act (POPA), which prioritizes safety where risk actually exists.
Blanket mandates impose crushing costs on developers:
- 77% say that receiving and storing sensitive user age data would require “significant resources” in both money and time.
- 66% estimate that complying with these requirements would cost more than $10,000 per year.
- Nearly one in four expect these compliance costs to exceed $20,000 annually, an impossible financial burden for small, independent developers.
- 77% say that requiring government ID uploads is harmful to their businesses and the local clients they serve, raising privacy and liability concerns.
Regulations should be pointed, and apply to apps intended for adults or providing age-based experiences:
- Most (65%) developers design apps for users of all ages, yet blanket requirements would still force them to verify every user’s age.
- 40% have an app for adults only (18+).
- Only 17% have an app for kids (under 18).
- 88% agree that child safety rules should apply to all tech businesses, rather than singling out smartphone apps
- 94% believe apps that offer different experiences based on age should take primary responsibility for delivering age-appropriate user experiences.
Developers need a targeted approach that protects children from harm without crushing the innovation that drives our economy. POPA delivers this balance by targeting high-risk apps and closing browser loopholes, whereas ASAA destroys small business viability with unnecessary red tape.
Methodology: The Developers Alliance conducted an online survey of 1,000 app economy decision-makers in the United States from January 12 – 19, 2026, with a MOE of +/- 3.1%.
