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State Children's Privacy Law Tracker / Ohio

Ohio Children's Privacy Laws (2026)

2 laws & bills tracked · overall: In force · current as of June 28, 2026

Ohio has 2 tracked children's privacy laws and bills — each listed below with its status, the ages it covers, litigation posture, and a link to the official primary source. For the interactive view, open Ohio in the tracker map.

App Store Accountability Act (HB 226 / SB 167, Meta-backed; competing HB 302 / SB 175, Google-backed; 136th GA) · HB 226 / SB 167 (136th GA); also HB 302 / SB 175

Pending — A bill was introduced this cycle but is not yet law. · App store · binds app stores, developers

Ages: under 16 / 16 and under (HB 226/SB 167); minors per Google-backed variants

Requires: (If enacted) app stores to verify the age of Ohio users, assign accounts to age categories, and obtain verifiable parental consent before a minor (16 and under under HB 226/SB 167) downloads/purchases an app or makes in-app purchases; developers to receive age-category signals.

Primary source

Social Media Parental Notification Act (HB 33, 135th GA budget; codified at R.C. 1349.09) · HB 33 (135th GA)

In force — Effective and enforceable today. · Social media · effective 2024-01-15 · binds operators, platforms

Ages: under 16

Requires: Verifiable parental/legal-guardian consent before a child under 16 can register for or contract to use a covered social media platform; operators must provide notice of moderation/content policies to the parent.

Litigation: NetChoice, LLC v. Yost, No. 2:24-cv-00047 (S.D. Ohio) — permanent injunction (summary judgment for NetChoice) Apr 16, 2025; REVERSED and REMANDED for judgment in favor of Ohio AG by the Sixth Circuit, No. 25-3371, June 18, 2026 (Clay J., lead; Batchelder J. concurring; Ritz J. dissenting). Injunction no longer in effect; NetChoice reviewing options (possible en banc/cert) but none granted as of 2026-06-27.

Primary source

Also on the books (out of scope): Ohio HB 96 (FY26-27 budget) age-verification provision, codified at R.C. 1349.10; Ohio HB 295 'The Innocence Act' (136th GA) — standalone adult-content/pornograph — out-of-scope mandates (like adult-content age-gates) are tracked separately and don't set this state's status.

Federal · COPPAapplies here too

Regardless of state law, COPPA governs personal information collected from children under 13: notice, verifiable parental consent, data minimization, and — under the 2025 amended Rule — limits on retention and third-party sharing.

Source

How Ohio compares

Not legal advice. I build products for a living; I'm not a lawyer. Compiled from primary sources and reviewed monthly as part of the State Children's Privacy Law Tracker; AI-assisted research, verified against each law's official source — but laws and injunctions change fast, so confirm the latest before relying on it. Related: COPPA's Gray Areas.