By Gavin Boyle
Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed a bill into law that requires Apple and Google to verify the age of users before allowing them to download apps on their respective stores.
“The problem is that self-regulation in the digital marketplace has failed, where app stores have just prioritized the profit over safety and rights of children and families,” Casey Stefanski, the executive director for the Digital Childhood Alliance, told Reuters when explaining they Apple and Google need to be ones liable for age verification.
Similar bills have been debated across the country and have even found national interest as parents and lawmakers desire to stem the reach of inappropriate content. Tech companies like Meta and Snap have expressed strong support for these bills, arguing that age verification is most easily done at the app store level.
“Parents want a simple, manageable way to verify their child’s age and review the apps their teens want to download. The most sensible and effective place for age verification is at the OS/app store level,” the companies said in a joint letter earlier this year.
“We all want young people to be supported and protected online,” the letter continued. “Parents want a one-stop shop to verify their child’s age before they download apps. The best way to achieve this is… to require a simple, secure, industry-wide solution at the OS/app store level that puts parents in charge.”
Related: Meta, Snap Support Social Media Age Verification Laws
Meanwhile, Apple and Google have been staunchly against this legislation, arguing it violates children’s rights while also placing them in a tricky situation as they are forced to collect and store sensitive information about users. Furthermore, current age verification laws place the onus on developers, such as the wave of pornography age verification laws that require these websites to verify the age of their users.
However, rather than simply comply with these laws, pornography websites like Pornhub have disabled access for all users in these states rather than implement age verification systems.
Apple and Google do not have this option, so the companies have already begun working on ways to make their platforms safer for young users, without needing to verify their age. Apple introduced developer tools that would allow app creators to disable certain app settings until users verify their age and also released a system for parents to input their kids’ age, without needing a formal verification.
Under the new Texas law, these tools would not be enough. However, the bill still has to hold up to legal scrutiny. It remains to be fully seen who will be the ultimate arbiter of age verification, but for now, it is trending towards Apple and Google.
Read Next: Battle Rages Over Age Verification Laws — What Parents Should Know
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