Social media giants X, Meta and Snap have together signed a letter backing a US bill calling for app stores to take responsibility for online age checks. According to Fox News Digital, the letter, addressed to the South Dakota Senate Judiciary Committee members, chair, and vice chair said that the bill is the “best solution […]
Social media giants X, Meta and Snap have together signed a letter backing a US bill calling for app stores to take responsibility for online age checks.
According to Fox News Digital, the letter, addressed to the South Dakota Senate Judiciary Committee members, chair, and vice chair said that the bill is the “best solution to support families.”
“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,” it reads.
It also states that by hosting age verification there, it limits the number of times a user has to share personal information, such as an ID or credit card.
“Parents want a one-stop shop to verify their child’s age before they download apps. The best way to achieve this is for policymakers in South Dakota to require a simply, secure, industry-wide solution at the OS/app store level that puts parents in charge,” the companies stated.
Lina Ghazal, head of regulatory and public affairs at Verifymy, said that while it is encouraging to see major tech companies acknowledge the importance of stronger age assurance, protective measures need to be as close to “the risk as possible.”
She argues that “content platforms are best placed to implement robust age assurance measures, as they have the oversight and can apply tailored safeguards to protect users”.
She said: “Shifting responsibility upstream to app stores or device operating systems creates extra layers of separation from the heart of the issue. This can lead to less precise monitoring, potentially allowing more underage users to slip through.”
She concluded that platforms should also integrate age verification as another step to ensure the safety of young people.
At the end of last year, Australia announced it was to set a full ban on social media for under-16s.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said that “social media is doing social harm to our young Australians.”
