Salt Lake City, Utah, has become the pioneering state in adopting legislation mandating that app stores verify the ages of users and obtain parental consent for minors who wish to download apps onto their devices. This move sets the scene for a significant debate involving major players like Meta, which operates platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, and app store titans Apple and Google over which party should be responsible for age verification. Similar legislative initiatives have been tabled in at least 12 other states amid ongoing discussions regarding the safety of children online. These proposals come in the wake of contentious legal battles surrounding laws compelling social media platforms to authenticate users’ ages.
Backing this initiative, Meta and other social media firms advocate for app stores taking responsibility for age verification. They argue that this addresses concerns that these platforms do not sufficiently ensure product safety for children or confirm that users are over the age of 13. Enthusiastically, Meta, X, and Snap Inc. issued a joint statement, commending Utah’s landmark legislation for empowering parents and calling for Congress to adopt similar measures.
On the other side, app store operators contend that app developers themselves are better positioned to implement age verification and various safety measures. Apple warns that placing this burden on app stores will necessitate that users provide sensitive personal information, such as a driver’s license or Social Security number, regardless of whether they intend to use age-restricted apps. The tech giant argues this is neither safe nor respects user privacy since many children lack governmental IDs, as highlighted in the company’s most recent online safety report.
Apple maintains that age is a privacy issue and allows users to choose whether to disclose it, providing parents with tools to set appropriate download parameters. Google Play Store offers similar options. Both companies support the Chamber of Progress, a tech policy advocacy group that lobbied against the Utah bill, emphasizing concerns over personal privacy encroachment and the significant burden placed on app stores.
Republican Sen. Todd Weiler sponsored the bill, contending that it is more efficient to regulate a few major app stores than thousands of individual app developers. Under the legislation, app stores must ask for age information when an account is created. Should the user be a minor, the account is then linked to the parent’s account, potentially requiring ID verification. Weiler suggests that using a credit card could often suffice for age verification.
The bill further stipulates that parents must approve any app downloads involving in-app purchases or terms of conditions agreements. Among advocates for the legislation, Utah mother Melissa McKay shared her personal motivation, citing concerns over exposure to inappropriate content after her nephew encountered harmful material on a peer’s device. She believes faulty age ratings and parental controls are core issues in online safety.
Alongside Utah, another 12 states are considering similar proposals to transfer age verification responsibilities to app stores and seek parental permissions. Recently, Alabama’s legislative committee made progress with their own proposed bill.
Past attempts to implement social media regulation have faced legal challenges, such as Utah’s previous law, temporarily blocked in 2024, requiring age verification for all social media users. If passed, the new Utah bill will take effect on May 7, pending Governor Spencer Cox’s approval. Governor Cox has previously supported the now-stalled state law on social media age verification, though his office did not comment on the current bill.