WASHINGTON — Top officials at Pinterest are endorsing a bill by Utah Sen. Mike Lee to increase verification measures for children to download social media platforms and other apps on their digital devices.
The App Store Accountability Act would require app stores to implement age verification methods before users can download certain programs, ensuring that children under 18 receive explicit parental approval before using the app. Pinterest CEO Bill Ready backed the proposal on Monday, lauding it as a crucial step to ensure child safety online.
“Parents need a single, privacy-preserving solution to verify their child’s age and know they’re safe online,” Ready said in a statement. “Making the app store a one-stop shop for age verification ensures children are protected from the moment they start using a device. We urge Congress to pass this important law.”
The bill would require accounts operated by children to be linked to a parental account that must consent to the app’s download before it is downloaded to the child’s device. The proposal would outline minimum standards that app stores must meet, including age verification tools, parental oversight and accurate app age ratings.
Stores will then undergo annual certifications to ensure the regulations are being followed and any loopholes are closed.
“I’m glad that Pinterest is stepping up to protect kids and put parents in charge by supporting the App Store Accountability Act,” Lee said in a statement. “App stores need reliable age verification, parental controls, and safeguards against exploitation demanded by concerned parents across America. With the help of Pinterest, we’re one step closer to protecting children online.”
Lee’s bill closely mirrors a law enacted in Utah earlier this year imposing stricter social media protections for children that blocks users under 18 years old from downloading apps or making in-app purchases without parental approval or age verification. That law took effect in May, although some compliance requirements and other provisions don’t take effect until next year.
Lee’s proposal would expand those protections on a national level, and it has already garnered the support of some national groups such as the Digital Childhood Alliance.
The bill comes as lawmakers across the political spectrum search for ways to protect children from harm on the internet. The House Energy and Commerce Committee is scheduled to hold a hearing on Tuesday discussing proposals to increase regulations for users under 18 years old, which includes the App Store Accountability Act, among others.
Lawmakers will also consider the Kids Online Safety Act, a sweeping bill to update regulations on social media platforms that dictate how the companies can operate.
KOSA, which currently has more than 40 bipartisan co-sponsors in the Senate alone, would require platforms to establish safeguards protecting users under the age of 17. While the bill carves out some exceptions, it would apply to video games, online messaging sites, video streaming services and other online platforms.
The bill would “generally require” social media apps to “exercise reasonable care” in its design and features that typically cause teenagers to become addicted to the online sites. It would also require companies to meet certain requirements before implementing algorithms that “select, order, or prioritize information presented to users based on user-specific data.”
However, there are some criticisms from lawmakers such as Lee that KOSA doesn’t go far enough to protect children online — prompting the additional introduction of the App Store Accountability Act.
“(It) doesn’t do the job that it needs to do to address some of the most significant threats to kids online, and it potentially opens the door to what could turn into political censorship by the federal government,” Lee told The Verge.
The Energy and Commerce Committee will mark up the bills during its hearing on Tuesday, after which it could be brought to the floor for a vote if there is overwhelming bipartisan support.