TECH NEWS – When buying a new phone, it is likely that the first step Americans will take is to confirm their age with Apple or Google.

The regulation of technology access based on age is rapidly gaining ground in various parts of the world. For example, Australia has banned social media use by children under 16 under a new law. In the United States, a congressional committee is debating a bill that would require Apple and Google to verify the age of all smartphone users. The U.S. Energy and Commerce Committee is discussing several measures to protect children and teenagers online under the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA). The Senate version is already filibuster-proof, as the co-sponsors have reached the required 60-vote threshold. Importantly, this version imposes a duty of care on all relevant platforms, including online platforms, gaming platforms, messaging apps, and video streaming services used by persons under the age of 17.

However, leaders of the U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee believe that the language used in the Senate bill is too similar to policies that U.S. courts have previously ruled unconstitutional. Accordingly, committee members are pushing for their own version of the bill, which would provide comprehensive protection for online platforms and require them to implement measures that protect young people from violence, fraud, obscenity, gambling, drugs, and alcohol. The committee is also considering banning social media accounts for users under 16, introducing a national age verification mechanism for sexually explicit websites, and giving parents greater control over their children’s communications in online games.

The committee is considering requiring Apple and Google to implement an age verification mechanism for all smartphone users in the United States. Recently, Apple CEO Tim Cook met with members of the House Committee to lobby against the App Store Accountability Act, which aims to protect minors from potentially harmful apps by requiring universal age verification in the App Store. The House committee is discussing the bill today.

Apple maintains that such requirements endanger user privacy and that more effective ways exist to safeguard young people online without resorting to invasive data collection.

Source: WCCFTech, Punchbowl, Punchbowl, Congress.gov