Meta suggests transferring age verification responsibility from social media platforms to app stores
Meta Vice President suggested that age verification at the app store level could be a more effective method for parents to manage their children’s social media usage.
Global tech giant Meta has proposed that Australia should adopt an app store-based approach to age verification for social media platforms, noting limitations in existing industry measures.
Under the plan supported by the Opposition, digital platforms must verify the age of their users or face fines.
During a parliamentary inquiry hearing on Sept. 4, Meta Vice President and Global Head of Safety Antigone Davis proposed the idea of introducing age verification at the app store level on mobile devices as a streamlined process.
“With this solution, when a teen wants to download an app, app stores would be required to notify their parents,” she informed the Joint Select Committee on Social Media and Australian Society.
“Parents can then decide if they want to approve the download.
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“They can also verify the age of their teen when setting up their phone, negating the need for everyone, adults and teens alike, to verify their age multiple times across multiple apps.”
The vice president also emphasized that parents could supervise their children’s online activities and restrict access to adult content or unwanted apps.
Davis additionally mentioned that other social media companies supported the app store-based verification approach.
“Snap and Tiktok have both publicly expressed support for this method,” she mentioned.
“Furthermore, the International Center for Missing and Exploited Children is spearheading a campaign in favor of this strategy.
“We believe that a uniform industrywide solution where all apps adhere to the same standard is the most effective way to support parents and young people.”
Meta Vice President States Limitations of Other Age Verification Methods
Following Meta’s proposal, a Committee member inquired whether the company aimed to shift its responsibility for age verification.
In response, Davis denied such intentions from Meta.
“We are not looking to offload the responsibility entirely to the app store,” she clarified.
“What we are proposing is a multi-layered approach.”
While acknowledging that her company had initiated measures for age verification on its platform, Davis highlighted the imperfections in those methods.
“The age verification methods currently utilized in the industry have limitations,” she informed the Joint Select Committee on Social Media and Australian Society.
“Whether it involves requesting an ID and invasive data collection or relying on an age estimation classifier, accuracy levels are not definitive as they lack user-based verification.”
Australians Express Skepticism on Age Verification Efficacy: Survey
Davis’ comments follow a recent survey by the University of Sydney revealing that many Australians doubted the effectiveness of age verification despite widespread support for the concept.
According to the survey, 72 percent of teenagers aged 12–17 and 86 percent of parents believed that stricter age restrictions would enhance the safety of young people on social media.
However, some respondents noted that children could bypass age verification using tools like VPNs (virtual private networks).
Meanwhile, parents expressed concerns about the burden of providing age proof and managing consent for their children’s social media usage.
There were also worries regarding the potential for data breaches associated with age verification processes.
“These considerations definitely raise questions. What is the purpose of the data collection? Is it solely for age verification, or could there be ulterior motives?” a parent questioned.
