The western state of Utah has become the first state in America to pass legislation requiring app stores to verify the ages of those downloading app.
The Associated Press reported that besides requiring app stores to verify users’ ages, the legislation also requires parental consent for minors to download apps to their devices.
The Utah legislation comes amid a global debate on how best to protect children from the impact of social media and other online platforms.
Age verification
In the UK for example, Ofcom has stated that “robust” age verification checks on all websites containing online pornography, must be in place by July 2025 at the latest.
Meanwhile Australia in November 2024 passed what it called “world leading legislation” that banned social media for children under-16 years of age.
Into this comes the news that Utah on Wednesday became the first US state to pass legislation requiring requiring app stores to verify users’ ages.
AP reported that similar bills have been introduced in at least eight other US states.
AP also reported that the bill headed to the desk of Gov. Spencer Cox pits Meta Platforms against app store giants Apple and Google over who should be responsible for verifying ages.
Meta and other social media companies have apparently supported putting the onus on app stores to verify ages, despite criticism that they don’t do enough to make their products safe for children – or verify that no kids under 13 use them.
“Parents want a one-stop shop to verify their child’s age and grant permission for them to download apps in a privacy-preserving way. The app store is the best place for it,” Meta, X and Snap reportedly said in a joint statement Wednesday. “We applaud Utah for putting parents in charge with its landmark legislation and urge Congress to follow suit.”
Apple response
But app stores say that app developers are actually better equipped to handle age verification and other safety measures.
Apple told AP that requiring app stores to confirm ages will make it so all users have to hand over sensitive identifying information, such as a driver’s license, passport, credit card or Social Security number, even if they don’t want to use an age-restricted app.
“Because many kids in the US don’t have government-issued IDs, parents in the US will have to provide even more sensitive documentation just to allow their child to access apps meant for children. That’s not in the interest of user safety or privacy,” Apple reportedly said in its most recent online safety report.
Apple considers age a matter of privacy and lets users to decide whether to disclose it. It gives parents the option to set age-appropriate parameters for app downloads.
The Google Play Store does the same.
It should be noted that US lawmakers have previously sought to introduce bills to give parents greater control of the use of social media by their children. For example the Protecting Kids on Social Media Bill back in 2023, would have required parental consent for minors under the age of 18 to use social media.
