WASHINGTON, DC – A new national poll released today by ALLvanza shows 82% of voters and 85% of parents – across partisan lines – support legislation in line with the App Store Accountability Act that would require age verification and parental approval through app stores before minors can download apps. 

The findings come as Congress considers a wide array of legislative solutions, including the App Store Accountability Act.

Individual provisions of this proposal likewise receive strong support:

  • 83% of voters, including 85% of parents support, requiring parental approval before minors can download apps.
  • Nearly two-thirds of voters (65%), including 66% of parents say that collecting users’ self-reported age is not an effective way to protect children online and that stronger age-verification measures, such as those outlined in the App Store Accountability Act, are needed.

When asked about an alternative proposal that would not require parental approval and would only require app stores to collect users’ self-reported ages, support drops substantially:  just 28% of voters support this proposal, while 62% oppose it. Among parents, opposition was even stronger at 68% opposed versus only 24% in support.

Both voters and parents widely reject self-reported age as an effective method for protecting teens online, with both groups agreeing by more than 50-point margins that it makes it too easy for minors to download inappropriate apps. 

ALLvanza commissioned Impact Research to conduct a nationwide survey, to dig deeper than the current debates on online child safety, and ask parents what solutions they believe will most effectively empower them to guide their teens’ online activity. The survey included the opinions of 1,150 registered voters, with additional focus on parents and Latino parents.

The full memo is below.

February 4, 2026

To: Interested Parties
Fr:  Impact Research
Re: New Poll Finds Overwhelming Support for Key Components of the App Store
Accountability Act

A new nationwide poll finds overwhelming support for legislation requiring app stores to verify users’ ages and obtain parental approval for minors to download apps. Support is overwhelming across the board and notable among key subgroups – including parents and Latino parents. The poll also reveals clear preferences for a centralized approach to age verification that goes beyond collecting users’ self-reported age. Below are some key findings from the poll:  

  • There is overwhelming support for legislation requiring app stores to verify users’ ages and obtain parental approval for minors to download apps. 82% of voters support this legislation, including 85% of parents and 79% of Latino parents. Support also transcends partisanship, with 77% of Democrats, 90% of Republicans, and 80% of Independents in favor of this legislation. 
    • The App Store Accountability Act is also politically motivating. 60% of voters say they would be more likely to support a member of Congress who supports this legislation, while just 13% say they would be less likely to do so.
  • Parental approval is extremely popular and helps drive support for legislation. 83% of voters and 85% of parents support requiring app stores to obtain parental approval for minors to download apps. 
    • When asked about alternative legislation that would not require parental approval and would collect users’ self-reported ages, support drops by 54 points to just 28%, with 62% opposed. Among parents, the decline is even bigger, with support falling 61 points (from 85% to 24%).

  • Voters reject that collecting users’ self-reported ages is effective for keeping children safe online. Nearly two thirds of voters (65%) say app stores collecting users’ self-reported age is not an effective way to protect children online and that stronger age-verification measures are needed, while just 24% believe that collecting self-reported ages is an effective approach. This position is firmly held by Latino voters and parents as well.

  • Parents express a clear preference for age verification in an app store over individual apps. 
    • By an 18-point margin, parents say they would prefer to verify age in one place, such as an app store (56%) rather than separately in each individual app (38%). Latino parents prefer verifying users’ ages in one place by a 25-point margin (58% app store / 33% individual apps).
    • A majority of parents (64%) also say they would trust app stores more than individual apps (22%) to securely handle the personal data needed to verify users’ ages.

These findings are based on the results of a live and text to web survey conducted by Impact Research from January 4-11, 2026, among N=1,150 registered voters nationwide. The survey included 800 registered voters along with oversamples of 250 parents (for a total of 477 parents) and 100 Latino parents (for a total of 157). The survey was conducted in English and Spanish and was weighted to reflect the demographic and partisan makeup of registered voters nationwide. The full sample has a margin of error of ±3.5%.

###

ALLvanza is a nonpartisan, forward-thinking, policy and action nonprofit organization that advocates for the success of all Americans in our innovation- and technology-based society. 

The poll was conducted by Impact Research, a leading progressive public opinion research firm.