Report from MediaPost
In Brief – Texas became the second state to pass a bill that would require app store operators like Apple and Google to verify all users’ ages and then block minors from downloading apps without parental permission. SB 2420, the App Store Accountability Act, also requires parental consent before minors can make in-app purchases, mandates accurate age ratings for apps, and introduces secure age verification tools. Today, Apple and Google operate the dominant app stores, but the number of app stores could grow as antitrust cases target the two giants. Meta has been the most vocal app developer arguing that Apple and Google, who play central roles in the app ecosystem, are best positioned to manage age verification by confirming a user’s age at account set-up and then simply telling app developers that a user is old enough for any single app download, as well as managing parental consent regimes through linked accounts. Apple, Google, and tech policy advocacy groups have objected to mandates requiring age verification for all online users.
Context – Governments worldwide, including Australia, the EU, UK, and a growing number of US states, are introducing measures that are intended to protect children and teens from so-called online harms, especially involving social media and pornography. They will operationally require age verification eventually. Singapore’s digital and media regulator recently announced that large app stores, which includes Apple and Google but also some China-based app stores, will need be take on system-level age verification measures in that country. In March, US Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) and Representative John James (R-MI) introduced a federal version of the App Store Accountability Act in Congress, drawing support from more than 100 national advocacy organizations. The US Supreme Court heard oral arguments in January regarding the privacy and free speech implications of online age verification requirements.