App Stores Face Age Verification Mandate under Proposed Legislation
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A New Federal Proposal Targets App Stores and Age Verification
Two Republican lawmakers are about to propose a fresh law aimed at making app stores verify the ages of all users and share that information with developers. This move follows a similar state law that was recently signed in Utah.
Titled the App Store Accountability Act, this legislation could potentially mark the first significant federal online safety law in years, significantly altering how users engage with app stores. If enacted, it would take effect one year after its passing.
On the surface, the law seems like a step towards creating safer experiences for kids. However, there are questions about how to verify the ages of young users without government IDs and potential legal and practical issues.
According to a draft of the bill obtained exclusively by CNN, app stores with at least 5 million users would be required to verify users' ages upon account creation. The information would then be shared with app developers, categorizing users as "young children" (under 13), "children" (13-15), "teens" (16-17), or "adults" (18 or older). Parental consent would be necessary before minors could download or make purchases through an app.
Sen. Mike Lee of Utah and Rep. John James of Michigan are expected to introduce the bill on Thursday. Lee stated that the law is designed to prevent children from accessing apps containing harmful content, including explicit material and potential contact from predators.
A Boon for Social Media Companies?
Given the pressure on lawmakers and tech platforms to make the internet safer, especially for young users, the proposal could be a significant win for social media giants like Meta, Snap, and X. They have endorsed the idea of using app stores as a central hub for age verification, allowing individual platforms to provide safer experiences without checking users' ages themselves.
Despite this, tech giants like Apple and Google have expressed reservations about the legislation, arguing that app stores and app developers should share responsibility for age verification. They also seek to protect privacy by only sharing age data with platforms that require it.
However, Apple has long championed privacy as a key aspect of its brand and has voiced concerns about collecting sensitive data from all users, regardless of whether they intend to use age-restricted apps. Google, on the other hand, emphasizes the importance of shared responsibility, privacy, and continued engagement with lawmakers on this crucial issue.
Privacy and Legal Concerns
While users wouldn't need to verify their age across multiple platforms, they would still have to provide personal data – likely a government ID or a facial scan – to verify their age. This applies to all app store users, not just children.
Critics have raised concerns about the potential violation of First Amendment rights, as the law might limit access to legally protected online speech. Tech industry-backed advocacy groups have also warned about the risks of regulatory fragmentation due to the law's intersection with existing data protection frameworks and state laws.
Parents and online safety experts are primarily concerned about mainstream social media apps, despite recent efforts by these companies to bolster youth safety measures.
This story is currently being updated with additional developments.
This version of the article incorporates relevant insights from the enrichment data when appropriate, improves readability through reorganized paragraphs, restructured sentences, and clarified points for easier understanding. The new version avoids matching the structure of the original article.
- The App Store Accountability Act, proposed by Sen. Mike Lee of Utah and Rep. John James of Michigan, could potentially require app stores with at least 5 million users to verify the ages of their users and share that information with developers, aligning with a recent state law in Utah.
- If the legislation is enacted, apps would categorize users as "young children" (under 13), "children" (13-15), "teens" (16-17), or "adults" (18 or older). This could apply to apps in Utah and possibly other states in the future.
- App stores might need to implement technology like facial scans to verify users' ages, and there are concerns about privacy, potential violation of First Amendment rights, and regulatory fragmentation as a result of this law.
