Google signals support for app store age verification law with changes

Google is pushing back against other major technology companies' efforts to put the responsibility of age verification on the app stores, arguing the onus is on both the stores and developers to boost children's safety.

In a blog post published Wednesday, Google pushed back against what it called "concerning legislation" in Utah, which became the first state in the country to pass a bill requiring app stores to verify users' ages. It also requires app stores to receive parental consent for minors to download applications.

"The bill requires app stores to share if a user is a kid or teenager with all app developers (effectively millions of individual companies) without parental consent or rules on how the information is used," Kareem Ghanem, Google's director of public policy, wrote.

"That raises real privacy and safety risks, like the potential for bad actors to sell the data or use it for other nefarious purposes," Ghanem continued.

Google argued the extent of data sharing is unnecessary and the bill would actually help social media companies avoid the responsibility of ensuring their platforms show age-appropriate content.

The requirement for parental consent, Google argued, controls how parents supervise their kids and risks cutting teens off from services like navigation maps.

The bill was sent to the desk of Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R), where it awaits a final decision. If signed, the majority of the bill's stipulations would take effect May 7.

Meta — the parent company of Facebook and Instagram — along with the social media apps X and Snap came out in support of the bill, arguing the onus is on app stores to verify kids' ages.

Meanwhile, Google said it is pushing for a framework that will still have "appropriate user consent" but also minimize data exposure.

The company is proposing an "age signal" be shared with the consent of the users or parents, but just to developers with apps that are potentially risky to minors.

"By just sharing with developers who need the information to deliver age-appropriate experiences, and only sharing the minimum amount of data needed to provide an age signal, it reduces the risk of sensitive information being shared broadly," Ghanem said.

Ghanem argued developers know their apps best and are in the best position to decide when age verification is needed.

"Because developers know their apps best, they are best positioned to determine when and where an age-gate might be beneficial to their users, and that may evolve over time, which is another reason why a one-size-fits-all approach won’t adequately protect kids," Google wrote.

Under the framework, app stores would only provide "industry standard age assurances" to only developers who actually need age restrictions. The proposal would also create a centralized dashboard for parents to manage their children's digital experience, Google said.

The company reinforced that it supports the banning of personalized ads for users younger than 18.

When asked for comment about Google's latest statement, Meta senior public affairs manager Jamie Radice affirmed the company supports legislation that would require app stores to get parental consent before permitting children to download apps.

“Parents across the country are calling for app stores to do more to keep children safe online, and 14 US states and federal lawmakers have introduced legislation that responds to their concerns," Radice wrote.

"We welcome Google's concession that they can share age information with app developers, and we agree this should be done in a privacy-preserving manner. But with millions of apps on Google's app store, and more added every day, it's unclear how they'll determine which apps are eligible to receive this data," she continued.

Apple, which hosts one of the market's largest app stores alongside Google, also lobbied against the Utah bill.

Earlier this month, Apple introduced what it called “age assurance” technology to allow parents to be able to select the age range of their kids instead of providing their exact date of birth when setting up child accounts.

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