Grindr is throwing its support behind a new age-verification bill introduced by two Republicans — Senator Mike Lee of Utah and Representative John James of Michigan. In a blog post on Tuesday, the LGBTQ-focused dating app said it backs the App Store Accountability Act, or ASAA, which would “create a single, secure age-verification process at the app-store level and allow developers to receive a verified age signal.” Major tech companies, including Meta, Snap, and Twitter, also support the measure.
The bill comes as other child-safety proposals, especially the Kids Online Safety Act, or KOSA, spark alarm among queer advocates who say its broad duty of care mandate could pressure platforms to suppress queer content. Critics argue that KOSA could empower conservative groups, like the Heritage Foundation, to influence what young people can see online. Supporters of ASAA, including Grindr, argue that this narrower, standardized approach focuses on age verification without regulating speech.
Grindr’s head of Global Government Affairs, Joe Hack, wrote, “We invest significant resources… to prevent and remove underage users…We support Rep. John James’s App Store Accountability Act because it strengthens this work… This approach, supported by nearly 90 percent of parents, is safer and more consistent.” Senator Lee, who voted against an earlier version of KOSA, told The Verge that he believed it “opens the door to what could turn into political censorship.”
