Meta, owner of Instagram and Facebook, is advocating for legislation that would require app stores, such as those run by Apple and Google, to obtain parental consent when a child downloads an app.
This move aims to shift the responsibility for implementing parental controls onto app stores rather than solely on social media companies.
The global head of safety at Meta, Antigone Davis, emphasized the need for a streamlined, industry-wide solution to regulate social media use among children.
The proposal suggests that parents should approve their teenagers’ app downloads, requiring app stores to notify parents when their under-16 teens attempt to download apps.
This process parallels how parents are informed about teen purchase attempts.
The call for this measure follows heightened scrutiny of Meta’s handling of young users and comes shortly after a whistleblower criticized Instagram’s safety measures regarding teens.
The whistleblower highlighted instances where his 14-year-old daughter faced online threats on the platform.
Acknowledging the increasing legal challenges, Meta’s proposal seeks a unified national law rather than navigating varying state regulations, echoing Utah’s recent mandate that social media firms obtain parental consent for children’s app usage.
Meta’s initiative also aims to preserve privacy by reducing the collection of sensitive information, emphasizing that transferring responsibility for parental controls to app stores could limit individual companies’ data collection.
Amidst global regulatory challenges faced by social media companies, Meta’s proposal seeks a standardized approach in collaboration with lawmakers to ensure consistent oversight of teens’ online experiences.
Source-BBC
