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Tech Giants Push States to Shift Child Safety Liability to App Stores Amid Lawsuits
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Firstpost•05-10-2026, 01:48
Tech Giants Push States to Shift Child Safety Liability to App Stores Amid Lawsuits
- •Google and Apple lobbyists are reportedly urging state lawmakers to adopt child safety laws that would shield tech giants from mounting lawsuits.
- •The lobbying effort comes as tech companies face hundreds of lawsuits alleging harm to children from platform designs and increasing legal scrutiny.
- •Meta has supported legislation requiring app stores, not platforms, to verify user ages, shifting liability for age verification.
- •The App Store Accountability Act (ASAA) would require app stores to verify ages, obtain parental consent, and assume substantial legal liability.
- •Versions of ASAA have passed in Utah, Louisiana, and Alabama, but face lawsuits from tech industry groups over First Amendment rights concerns.
Key Questions Answered
The App Store Accountability Act requires app stores to verify users' ages and obtain parental consent before minors can download apps or make purchases, shifting substantial legal liability away from individual platforms and onto app store providers like Apple and Google.
Google and Apple have pitched alternative bill text to state lawmakers that would bar lawsuits against tech giants and leave enforcement to state attorneys general, while relying largely on users self-attesting their age.
Meta agreed to pay a $1.8 billion settlement with 48 states, the District of Columbia, and three US territories to resolve claims that Facebook and Instagram harmed children.
