Meta's victory that worries other tech giants

In January last year, Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta $META, said during a congressional hearing that verifying the age of users should not be the responsibility of social platforms, but rather app stores. A year later, one US state took his advice seriously.

Utah passed a groundbreaking law last week that requires app stores to verify users' ages and obtain parental consent before minors download apps. The move represents a significant victory for Zuckerberg and other tech giants, who have faced increasing pressure to protect children in the digital world. But the law also raises privacy and legal concerns and has faced opposition from Apple, Google and other critics.

Apple is skeptical of the new legislation. The company said in a statement that age verification at the app store level would mean that every user - not just children - would have to share sensitive personal information, which could compromise their privacy. Google went even further, accusing Zuckerberg and other companies of trying to shift responsibility for children's safety to app stores instead of addressing it themselves.

Despite these criticisms, Utah is pushing the idea that app stores should act as a central point for age verification. During the hearing, Zuckerberg argued that parents should not be forced to verify their children's ages for each individual app. If the law goes into effect, app stores will have to determine a user's age and share it with app developers, while protecting the data used for verification.

Critics of the law, however, point to its potential legal and practical problems. For example, what happens if both children and adults use the same device? How will app stores enforce the law in only one state? And how will they verify the age of users - will they need to scan faces or provide official ID?

Another concern is that the legislation could run afoul of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Critics argue that having to submit personal information before accessing any content limits free speech. Last year, a court blocked a similar law in Utah that required age verification on social media, precisely because of constitutional concerns.

Despite the controversy, the law has the support of some parents and child safety experts. They argue that overexposure to digital media is harming youth and that governments must act. Utah Governor Spencer Cox has not yet announced whether he will sign the bill, but said his team is reviewing it closely.

Zuckerberg and other tech leaders may have gotten what they wanted - shifting responsibility to app stores. But if this model becomes the norm, it could have major implications not just for children and their parents, but for every user of digital platforms.

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