USA: App Store Operators Should Take Over Age Controls

In the long-standing dispute over whether app developers or app store operators should be responsible for age verification, there is movement: In the USA, a bill is taking shape that aims to hold operators like Apple and Google accountable. Proponents argue, among other things, that for data protection reasons, it would be more advantageous for users if they only had to provide proof of age in one place rather than doing so with various providers.

The initiative for a federal law in the USA ("App Store Accountability Act") builds on existing legislation in individual states. In Utah, Apple and Google are already required to perform age checks. Other states are considering whether to follow suit. The initiators of the federal law compare app stores to retail: there, for example, with tobacco or alcohol, it is not every manufacturer of a product who is responsible for age verification, but the retailer.

Apple is not enthusiastic

Apple is reportedly, according to The Verge, anything but enthusiastic about the legislative proposal. While US tech companies like Meta, X, and Snap are among the proponents, Apple is reluctant to pass on precise age information and possibly further personal details to app developers. In mid-2025, the iPhone manufacturer had therefore also significantly expanded its youth protection functions and at the same time expressed pride that, for example, the age remains approximate because age corridors are shared with app developers instead.

Placing age controls with app store operators should also simplify the implementation of social media bans, as are being discussed or implemented in many countries for children and adolescents. Instead of each provider having to establish protection mechanisms individually, corresponding interfaces could be created at the operating system level. However, this could easily conflict with the data protection promises that companies like Apple make to their users.

(mki)