In a groundbreaking move, Utah has made history by becoming the first state to pass a law mandating app stores to verify user age and seek parental consent for minors downloading apps. This pivotal legislation, which now awaits approval from Governor Spencer Cox, has instigated a debate between major tech firms like Meta, which manages platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, and app store giants Apple and Google regarding the responsibility for age verification.
The bill reflects growing legislative efforts across several states aimed at enhancing children’s online safety, with similar proposals introduced in at least eight other states. This legislative initiative comes in the wake of ongoing legal conflicts concerning laws that demand social media platforms validate the ages of their users.
Social media companies like Meta argue that app stores should bear the responsibility of age verification, countering critiques about their insufficient measures to create safe environments for children. In a joint statement, Meta, along with platforms X and Snap Inc., praised Utah for its innovative approach, emphasizing the importance of granting parents control over app downloads via app store verification processes.
However, app stores, including Apple, advocate for developers managing age verification instead. They argue that obligating app stores to verify users’ ages could necessitate the submission of sensitive information—such as driver’s licenses, passports, or Social Security numbers—even if users do not intend to download age-restricted apps. This, Apple warns, could compromise user privacy and is not in alignment with their safety aspirations. The company maintains that age is a private matter, and both Apple and Google provide parents with age-appropriate options for regulating app downloads.
Opposition groups like the Chamber of Progress, sustained by tech giants like Apple and Google, launched campaigns urging rejection of the bill, expressing concerns over privacy invasion and the substantial burden it could place on app stores. Kouri Marshall from the Chamber of Progress criticized the bill as a grave privacy infringement.
Republican Senator Todd Weiler, who sponsored the bill, defended the approach by highlighting the practicality of targeting two central distributors—app stores—rather than numerous individual app developers. The proposed legislation mandates app stores to obtain age information when users create accounts and link minors’ accounts to their parents’, potentially requiring identification like a credit card to confirm identity.
Parents, including Utah resident Melissa McKay, are among those advocating for tighter controls, citing incidents where children were exposed to harmful content through devices. McKay asserts that app inaccuracies in age ratings and ineffective parental controls contribute significantly to online harm.
Alongside Utah, eight other states are contemplating similar bills, reinforcing app stores’ responsibilities over age verification and parental oversight. Progress is evident in Alabama, where a legislative committee recently moved its proposal forward.
The implementation of similar state laws has faced judicial challenges, with some delayed through litigation. For instance, a judge previously blocked Utah’s pioneering law requiring social media firms to verify user ages, placing restrictions on minors’ accounts.
If Governor Cox signs the bill, most of its provisions are slated to become effective on May 7. Although his office has not commented on the matter, Cox has historically supported state laws requiring social media age verification.
