Parents Decide Act

HR8250, titled the Parents Decide Act, was introduced in the House of Representatives on April 13, 2026, by Rep. Gottheimer (D-NJ) and Ms. Stefanik. The bill has since been referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, indicating it is in the early stages of the legislative process. The bill does not authorize or appropriate any specific funding. Instead, it proposes a regulatory framework requiring operating system providers to implement age verification for all users and parental verification for users under 18. It also mandates the development of systems for app developers to access this age verification data. Enforcement of these regulations would fall under the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), treating violations as unfair or deceptive acts or practices. Structural winners and losers would primarily be within the Technology sector. Operating system providers such as Apple ($AAPL), Google ($GOOGL) (Android), and Microsoft ($MSFT) (Windows) would incur costs associated with developing and implementing the required age verification systems. App developers would also be affected by the need to integrate with these new age verification systems. The bill's current status as 'referred to committee' means it must pass through committee, potentially be amended, and then pass both the House and Senate before it could become law.