US Lawmakers Push App Stores to Implement Age โVerification
WASHINGTON D.C. – A new bipartisan bill introducedโ in the US Congress aims to compel app store operators like Apple and Google to implement age verification systems for โขall users. The legislation, gaining momentum amid growing โconcerns over children’s online โคsafety, would require app stores to utilize commercially reasonable methods to determine โusers’ โคages and enforce โage-appropriate โฃcontent restrictions.
Currently, app stores largely rely on self-reporting for age verification, a systemโ widelyโ criticizedโฃ as ineffective.โ This bill seeks to shift the responsibility for protecting young users from individual app developers to the platforms distributing those apps. โขThe move could significantlyโข impact the โฃdigital landscape for both consumers and tech companies,potentiallyโ streamlining effortsโข to enforce social media bans for children and adolescents-a topic of increasing debate and legislative action across numerousโฃ countries. โ
Theโฃ proposed law arrivesโข as techโ companies themselves are enhancing parental control features. Apple,such โas,recently expanded โฃits parentalโ protection functions,slated for releaseโฃ in mid-2025,while maintaining a stance that age ranges shared with developers โremain approximate.However, mandating age verification atโ the โฃapp storeโ level could โฃclash with privacyโ commitments made by companies like Apple, which currently prioritize limiting theโ data shared withโ third โฃparties.
The legislation proposes creating standardized interfaces at the operating system level to facilitate age-appropriate contentโข access, potentially simplifying the โคimplementation of social media restrictions. If passed, the bill would likely face โขchallengesโ regarding data privacy and the technical feasibility of accurately verifying the age of millions โof users.
