Google has firmly rejected a proposal from Meta to implement age verification through app stores, warning that the measure would be ineffective and could potentially harm user privacy, particularly that of children.
The tech giant voiced its objections in a blog post published Friday, stating that using app store data to determine user age would demand the sharing of sensitive information with millions of app developers, including those who do not offer age-restricted content. “We have strong concerns about the risks this ‘solution’ would pose to children,” the company noted.
The proposal, originally advanced by Meta, parent firm of Facebook and Instagram, suggests that operating systems like Android and iOS should bear responsibility for verifying users’ ages. Meta has argued that integrating age checks at the app store level would help make online ecosystems safer for young people. Its chief of safety, Antigone Davis, earlier told Euronews that such a system could more effectively safeguard teenagers from harmful online content.
However, Google contends that the approach would leave significant gaps. Age verification via app stores, it said, would fail to account for many other common access points to online content, such as desktop browsers and shared family devices. Moreover, the company warned that implementing the proposal would mean overhauling longstanding internet protocols, potentially disrupting the decentralised nature of the web.
Apple, whose App Store is pre-installed on all iPhones and iPads, has also criticised the suggestion. In a February statement, the company said that only websites and apps hosting age-sensitive content should be held responsible for verifying users’ ages, not the broader infrastructure supporting them.
The debate unfolds amid growing pressure across Europe to introduce stricter safeguards for minors online. France, in particular, has launched legal action against pornography websites that fail to comply with new age-verification rules, and is among several EU member states pushing for bloc-wide legislation to block children under 15 from accessing social media platforms. Concerns include online addiction, exposure to hate speech, and cyberbullying.
