Representative Plummer and a joint sponsor presented sponsor testimony on House Bill 302 at its first hearing before the Judiciary Committee, describing the bill as a framework to promote online safety for children while preserving parental control and privacy.

The bill assigns complementary responsibilities: app stores would provide infrastructure and age‑appropriate information and would allow a centralized parental controls dashboard; app developers would implement feature‑specific safety measures and limit data collection and targeted advertising for children; parents would remain in control of whether a child’s age signal is shared.

Why it matters: The sponsors said HB302 is intended to avoid the unintended consequences of more sweeping mandates that could increase privacy risks or force app stores to collect and share broad data about minors. The proposal emphasizes industry cooperation, standards for age signals, and privacy‑conscious age assurance methods.

Key details from testimony

- Representative Plummer said developers must request only the minimal information necessary, may not share age signals with third parties except as needed for safety or required by law, and must gate adult‑only activities for minors proportionate to risk.

- The sponsor described app stores’ role as providing technical infrastructure to surface parental controls and to facilitate an “industry‑standard age signal” where available, so parents can set controls in a single location rather than in every app.

- Committee members asked how HB302 differs from earlier proposals and whether the bill intentionally splits responsibilities between app developers and app stores. Sponsors said the bill creates a joint responsibility model and a centralized parental dashboard so parents retain decision‑making authority.

Committee outcome

Committee members treated HB302 as a first hearing; no vote was taken. The sponsor invited further technical questions and collaboration with colleagues and stakeholders going forward.