Proposed Legislation for Age Verification in Apps
Congressman Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) is set to unveil a new bill next week that would mandate Apple and Google to confirm the ages of users prior to downloading apps that may be harmful.
This legislation would empower parents to have a genuine means of restricting the content their kids can access right from the operating system, should they choose to do so.
Currently, children can easily access platforms like TikTok or Instagram by simply inputting a fictitious birthday. Honestly, that’s what a lot of kids do.
The proposed bill highlights that a significant number of children under 13 are already on social media, despite the age restrictions. According to research, the average child has three or more social media accounts.
Gottheimer’s legislation aims to shift the dynamic by enforcing complete restrictions on certain apps at the device level, rather than relying on the current per-app measures that kids often bypass.
“This is going to tackle the issue of suicide related to AI chatbots,” Gottheimer stated late Wednesday. “Right now, this is the best way to keep kids from reaching content that could be harmful for them.” He co-chairs the House AI Committee.
Research reveals that over 72% of teenagers use AI companions, with one in three saying they feel just as satisfied—or even more so—interacting with these chatbots than with real friends. Additionally, a third of people admitted to discussing significant personal matters with an AI instead of a human at some point in their lives.
This isn’t the first initiative aimed at enhancing child online safety. Other efforts have mostly concentrated on content moderation and accountability of platforms. However, Gottheimer believes that his approach, which requires age verification at the device level, is a fresh take.
“Protecting kids needs several layers of security—that’s what this proposal emphasizes,” he noted.
The bill would also task the Federal Trade Commission with creating enforceable regulations on how age verification data is handled by third-party app developers and how shared devices among siblings of varying ages should be managed.
Violating these rules could lead to fines reaching as high as $50,000 per incident.
This proposal arises amid increasing concerns that AI chatbots may be contributing to self-harm among teens and leading children to spend excessive time on platforms they’re too young for.
As a father, Gottheimer expressed his frustration with the challenges parents face in managing their children’s online activities. “It’s complicated, and I’m well aware of that,” he shared.
