Meta: not apps, but app stores should check the age of children

Meta wants American states to amend bills that would require the company to check the age of underage users. Instead of letting apps individually check the age of users, this should be done in app stores and during phone setup.

Meta claims that thanks to legislation, parents must always give permission to their teenagers when using apps. These laws vary by state, but they require teenagers to have parental permission to use apps. This is currently not legally required.

The company behind Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp wants download stores to carry out this inspection obligation. They can notify parents that their teenager wants to install an app, after which the parents give permission. Verifying age can be done once when setting up the phone, Meta says, so apps don’t have to do it individually.

If the laws were to change as Meta wants, the company would not have to do anything to comply with the laws. The dominant download stores on iOS and Android are owned by Apple and Google. Utah became the first state to implement such rules earlier this year. More states are working on similar legislation.