US Lawmakers Push App Stores to Implement Age Verification
WASHINGTON D.C. – A new bipartisan bill introduced in the US Congress aims to compel app store operators like Apple and Google to implement age verification systems for all users. The legislation, gaining momentum amid growing concerns over children’s online safety, would require app stores to utilize commercially reasonable methods to determine users’ ages and enforce age-appropriate content restrictions.
Currently, app stores largely rely on self-reporting for age verification, a system widely criticized as ineffective. This bill seeks to shift the responsibility for protecting young users from individual app developers to the platforms distributing those apps. The move could significantly impact the digital landscape for both consumers and tech companies,potentially streamlining efforts to enforce social media bans for children and adolescents-a topic of increasing debate and legislative action across numerous countries.
The proposed law arrives as tech companies themselves are enhancing parental control features. Apple,such as,recently expanded its parental protection functions,slated for release in mid-2025,while maintaining a stance that age ranges shared with developers remain approximate.However, mandating age verification at the app store level could clash with privacy commitments made by companies like Apple, which currently prioritize limiting the data shared with third parties.
The legislation proposes creating standardized interfaces at the operating system level to facilitate age-appropriate content access, potentially simplifying the implementation of social media restrictions. If passed, the bill would likely face challenges regarding data privacy and the technical feasibility of accurately verifying the age of millions of users.
