Meta has called for legislation that would require app stores to obtain parental approval before allowing teens to download any app. This would place additional responsibility on parents, as well as Google and Apple, in order to protect younger users from potentially harmful apps.
“Parents should approve their teen’s app downloads, and we support federal legislation that requires app stores to get parents’ approval whenever their teens under 16 download apps,” said Antigone Davis, Meta’s global head of safety. The company is proposing a plan that would see app stores notifying parents when their teen wants to download an app, similar to how parents are alerted when a child wants to make an in-app purchase. The parent would then have the option to approve or deny the request.
Meta’s approach would allow parents to verify their teen’s age when setting up a phone, rather than requiring multiple age verifications across various apps. According to the company, legislation is necessary to ensure that all apps used by teens are held to the same standard.
The company notes that states are enacting “a patchwork of different laws,” some requiring parental approval for different apps and others mandating age verification. Meta argues that this inconsistent approach leaves teens inconsistently protected as they move interchangeably between websites and apps.
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Currently, Meta argues that parents would need to navigate different signup methods and provide potentially sensitive identification information for themselves and their teens to apps with inconsistent security and privacy practices. Such age verification practices could threaten the privacy of all users, according to experts.
Some states, such as Utah and Arkansas, have passed laws requiring parental permission for teens to use social media apps, with the intention of implementing age verification requirements to protect teens from potentially harmful digital content. However, these laws have faced legal challenges, with a federal judge striking down Arkansas legislation just before it was set to take effect in September.
Meta’s call for federal legislation could be seen as an attempt to shift responsibility onto parents and app stores. This comes at a time when Meta, Google, and TikTok owner ByteDance are facing lawsuits blaming them for teens’ social media addiction, with 41 states and the District of Columbia suing Meta for allegedly releasing harmful features that addict children and teens to their mental and physical detriment.
In conclusion, Meta is advocating for federal legislation that would require app stores to obtain parental approval before allowing teens to download apps. The company’s proposal aims to provide a consistent approach across apps and protect teens from potentially harmful content. However, the issue of parental responsibility, privacy concerns, and legal challenges surrounding age verification requirements are complex and continue to be debated.
