Google and Meta are clashing over kids’ online safety, blaming each other while evading responsibility.
The ongoing battle between Google and Meta over kids’ online safety has intensified, with both companies accusing each other of evading responsibility. Google recently called out Meta and other social media platforms for backing laws that shift the burden of age verification to app stores. Meanwhile, Meta argues that app stores should take more responsibility.
Google Slams Meta
Google’s criticism comes after Utah became the first U.S. state to pass legislation requiring app stores like the Google Play Store and Apple App Store to verify users’ ages and obtain parental consent before minors can download apps. While Meta, Snap, and X supported the new law, Google opposed it, calling it “concerning” and claiming it fails to address the actual risks children face online.
The company argues that the responsibility for age verification should fall on social media platforms, not app stores. Kareem Ghanem, Google’s public policy director, stated that the law allows platforms like Meta to escape accountability, despite being the primary space where children engage with online content.
Google’s Alternative Proposal
To counter Utah’s law, Google proposed its own framework, which suggests that age verification should only apply to specific apps deemed risky rather than all apps. It also wants app developers, not app stores, to determine what protections are necessary.
Critics argue that Google’s proposal is simply a way to avoid taking responsibility. By putting the decision in developers’ hands, Google creates a loophole that could allow unsafe apps to slip through the cracks. Apple, in its latest online safety report, raised concerns that this approach could lead to excessive data collection from children, as developers may ask for sensitive identification details to comply with regulations.
Meta Shifts Blame to App Stores
Meta, on the other hand, sees things differently. The company welcomed Google’s acknowledgement that app stores can share age data with developers but questioned how Google would decide which apps need this information. Meta argues that the easiest way to protect minors is to put parents in control by making app stores responsible for obtaining parental consent.
