David Bridges
Utah is emerging as a pioneering force in transforming the landscape of the technology sector, a statement that feels particularly striking as we look towards the future in 2025.
According to a report by CNBC, Utah Governor Spencer Cox has enacted a groundbreaking bill that places the responsibility on major tech companies like Apple and Google to verify the ages of users accessing their app stores. This legislation mandates that individuals under the age of 18 must obtain parental permission before downloading specific applications.
As highlighted in the CNBC article:
“This law is the first of its kind in the United States, signifying a major shift in the online age verification process. It places the onus on mobile app stores like Apple and Google to execute age checks, rather than placing this responsibility on individual apps such as Instagram, Snapchat, and X.”
Interestingly, this initiative aligns with efforts from Meta, which has been advocating for similar measures over the past few years.
In 2023, Meta’s Global Head of Safety, Antigone Davis, suggested that app stores should assume a greater role in safeguarding children from adult-oriented applications, ensuring that parents are informed before their children download these apps.
“U.S. states are implementing a patchwork of diverse regulations, many requiring teenagers of various ages to secure parental consent to access certain applications. With teens frequently transitioning between numerous platforms and apps, the inconsistencies in social media laws across states result in varying levels of protection for young users.”
According to Davis, the best approach is for app stores to establish more stringent controls and protocols to prevent teenagers from downloading applications without parental consent.
The app stores already possess user information, and parents typically oversee the activation of their child’s devices. By implementing age restrictions at the app store level, it would significantly hinder teenagers’ ability to access apps designed for adults. Currently, each individual application must verify the user’s age independently, which can be cumbersome and ineffective.
“We advocate for federal legislation that obligates app stores to obtain parental approval whenever teens under the age of 16 wish to download applications. This means that when a teenager attempts to download an app, the app store would be responsible for notifying their parents, similar to the notification process for purchasing items. Parents would then have the opportunity to approve or deny the download.”
Consequently, it comes as no surprise that Meta has expressed its support for Utah’s new legislation, issuing a joint statement alongside Snap Inc.:
“We commend Governor Cox and the State of Utah for setting a precedent as the first in the nation to empower parents and users with enhanced control over teenage app downloads. We encourage other states to adopt this innovative approach. Parents desire a centralized platform to manage and approve the numerous apps their teens wish to download, and Utah has taken the lead in integrating this process within the device’s app store. This method alleviates the burden on users from repeatedly entering personal information for various individual apps and online services.”
Is this a more effective solution?
Logically, it seems plausible.
As it stands, each individual application developer is responsible for creating its own age verification and enforcement methods to prevent minors from accessing inappropriate content.
This has led to a variety of inconsistent approaches, many of which have proven to be ineffective.
For instance, research conducted by Common Sense Media in 2022 revealed that the daily average screen time for children aged 8 to 12 has been steadily increasing each year, with a significant percentage of that time devoted to social media applications. Furthermore, TikTok has reported that approximately a third of its U.S. user base is under 14, despite many not being registered at that age.
It is evident that numerous underage individuals are gaining access to social applications, and with each platform adopting different methods for age verification, enforcing any regulations becomes increasingly challenging.
How can regulatory bodies penalize X, for example, for being less effective at preventing underage access than Meta? A baseline legal requirement and a standardized detection process are essential to ensure that all companies are evaluated according to the same criteria. Otherwise, this could create an unfair commercial advantage within the industry.
Some newer methods for age detection are showing promise, with Meta utilizing third-party video age verification, which boasts a high accuracy rate. However, there are valid concerns regarding the safety of uploading video selfies of young users.
This technology is reportedly being considered by the Australian government as a standard to enforce the country’s impending ban on social media access for individuals under 16, which currently restricts access at age 13.
However, implementing such a system would incur substantial costs for platforms and necessitate the use of a third-party provider, which would likely store at least some user data. Moreover, this approach is limited to one region.
Centralizing user age verification through app stores, utilizing a one-time authentication process, appears to be a far superior solution.
Nonetheless, both Google and Apple are hesitant to assume the role of gatekeepers in this area, as they fear being held accountable for any future enforcement of age restrictions.
However, they are uniquely positioned to take on this responsibility. For now, at least in Utah, they will have to embrace this new obligation.
It will be intriguing to observe how this new law is implemented in Utah and whether it serves as the initial step towards a broader nationwide adoption of this framework.
Ivy Caldwell
Mason Thompson
