Utah has made a significant move to enhance online safety for minors by enacting a groundbreaking bill that mandates app stores to confirm users’ ages and secure parental approval before allowing minors to download apps. This development represents a major victory for Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who has consistently pushed for transferring age verification duties from social media platforms to app stores. However, the legislation has sparked debate, with Apple and Google strongly opposing it due to concerns over privacy and regulatory implications.
If approved by Governor Spencer Cox, the legislation would introduce a structured age verification system, categorizing users as either children, young teenagers, older teenagers, or adults. While some see this as a streamlined solution for protecting minors, others argue it could introduce privacy risks and logistical challenges that extend beyond Utah’s borders.
Tech Giants at Odds Over Responsibility for Child Safety
Meta, Snap, and X have welcomed the bill, supporting the idea that parents should have a centralized system to approve their children’s app downloads. They argue that app stores are the most logical place for implementing such controls, relieving individual platforms of the burden of verifying ages.
On the other hand, Apple and Google have raised concerns that the bill would require all users, not just minors, to submit personal information—potentially a government ID or biometric data—to verify their age. Apple, which has built its brand on user privacy, argues that this approach forces individuals to share sensitive data unnecessarily. Meanwhile, Google has accused Meta and other companies of pushing the legislation to offload their own responsibilities for keeping minors safe.
Both Apple and Google have proposed alternative approaches that would distribute responsibility between app stores and app developers, ensuring privacy-protected data sharing only with relevant platforms. Google has also submitted a veto request to the governor, advocating for a different legislative approach.
Privacy and Practical Challenges Create Uncertainty
The bill raises several practical concerns that could complicate its implementation. In households where multiple people share a device, determining which user’s age should be verified could be problematic. Additionally, minors in complex family situations may struggle to obtain parental consent for app downloads, even for educational or non-controversial apps.
Another major hurdle is the enforcement of the law within Utah’s borders. Given the widespread use of virtual private networks (VPNs) and travel across state lines, users may find ways to bypass app store restrictions. Furthermore, the bill does not specify which methods app stores should use for age verification, leaving open the possibility of artificial intelligence or facial recognition technologies, which have been criticized for accuracy issues.
Potential Consequences for Digital Platforms
If the bill becomes law, it could force app developers to confront an issue they may not have previously acknowledged—the presence of underage users on their platforms. Under the COPPA (Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act), online platforms are prohibited from collecting data on users under 13 without parental consent. With app stores providing explicit age information, developers may be required to delete or block accounts that belong to minors, introducing new compliance risks.
Despite backing from some lawmakers and online safety advocates, the law could still encounter legal challenges. Similar measures have previously been struck down on First Amendment grounds, especially when they restricted access to legally protected online content. Opponents claim that mandating age verification, even for non-sensitive apps, creates unnecessary obstacles and may infringe on digital rights.
A New Era of Digital Regulation or an Overreach?
Utah’s bill marks a potential turning point in digital regulation, as at least eight other states explore similar measures. Although the legislation is designed to enhance online safety for children, its wider impact on privacy, enforcement, and platform accountability remains unclear.
Governor Cox has acknowledged the bill’s privacy-conscious approach but has yet to confirm whether he will sign it into law. Meanwhile, the debate continues between those who see it as a necessary step to protect minors and those who warn of unintended consequences that could reshape how all users interact with digital platforms. As lawmakers weigh their next move, the tech industry and privacy advocates will be closely watching what happens next.