Reported by Stephen Nellis for Reuters, the latest development from Apple introduces a groundbreaking feature allowing parents to share their child’s age with app developers while safeguarding sensitive information like birthdates and government IDs. This innovation arrives amidst discussions among U.S. state and federal policymakers regarding the implementation of age verification regulations for social media and various applications. Proposed laws in states such as Utah and South Carolina are currently under review, aiming to mandate app store operators like Apple and Google to verify user ages.
This has sparked a debate within the tech industry about whether app stores or individual applications should bear the responsibility of age verification for users under 18. Meta, for example, has advocated for laws that require app stores to verify users’ ages during app downloads. Apple, however, has stated its reluctance to collect sensitive data for age verifications, citing concerns about the privacy implications of requiring all users to disclose personal information regardless of app usage intent.
To address this challenge, Apple has proposed a new approach called “age assurance.” With this feature, parents can input their child’s age when creating the child’s account. Subsequently, parents have the option to authorize the child to share an “age range” instead of precise birthdates or other identifying details with third-party app developers. Additionally, parents retain the ability to disable age-range sharing, ensuring control over their children’s personal information while limiting data shared with external parties.
Commenting on Apple’s initiative, Stephanie Otway, a spokeswoman for Meta, acknowledged it as a positive initial step but raised concerns about the requirement for children to share age range data with developers, potentially complicating Meta’s operations. Otway reiterated the importance of parental oversight in app selection for teenagers and expressed support for legislation mandating age verification and parental approval before minors download apps.
In conclusion, Apple’s innovative “age assurance” feature represents a significant step towards enhancing user privacy and parental control in the digital landscape, underscoring the ongoing dialogue surrounding age verification measures within the tech industry.
