Apple reportedly lobbying against bill that would require App Store age restrictions

Apple is always adding new ways to fight against smartphone addiction. However, it’s also spending millions on lobbying regulators in order to limit requirements on the iPhone and App Store.

Multiple states are now looking to regulate teen smartphone use, and pressure from Apple is expected. The Wall Street Journal details one effort in Louisiana earlier this year, and reportedly the Cupertino company hired four additional lobbyists who were contacting legislator Kim Carver.

Carver reportedly said that the lobbyists seemed panicked and at some point, the legislator stopped talking to them.

The bill in question was for social media, and it would require Apple to add and enforce age restrictions through the App Store, instead of leaving it to individual apps. Carver said that he didn’t want to absolve Meta and other social media platforms from responsibility on this issue, but during discussions, Carver was persuaded by a Meta lobbyist that it made more sense for the App Store to deal with that.

Parents having one place they could trust instead of repeating age verification with every app seemed better to the legislator. Then, he included Apple in his proposed legislation. Well, understandably Apple lobbyists were against that, as one would expect. Apple spokesperson reportedly alleged that Meta was trying to deflect attention from its own challenges with the safety of younger people on its platforms.

Apple also argued that sharing age details from Apple’s parental controls to third-party apps was a privacy violation.

However, legislators were put under pressure and Carver reportedly risked getting sued if the bill included the App Store requirement, so they removed the requirement from the bill in the end.

However, the legislator isn’t done with his idea and he will reportedly propose it in the state’s next session.

I personally think that this complex issue is very difficult to regulate, and I’m honestly feeling quite happy I don’t get to make the tough decisions. Personally, if it were me, I’d not let any teen use social media at all until they’re all grown up. But that’s pretty utopian, so finding the right balance with regulations and rules is very important.