Tech Giants Push Back: Meta and Spotify Lobby to Make Apple and Google Handle Age Verification

Meta, Spotify Lobby to Pass Age Verification Buck to Apple and Google

Key Points:

• Lobbying Effort: Meta, Spotify, and Match Group have formed 'The Coalition for a Competitive Mobile Experience' to lobby Washington to make Apple and Google responsible for age verification on their platforms.
• Utah's Law: Utah became the first state in March 2025 to require Apple and others to implement age verification systems, focusing specifically on Google and Apple rather than third-party app developers.
• Apple's Actions: Apple has already announced and begun implementing a series of age verification-related steps for iOS, including a Declared Age Range API, which will be rolled out by the end of 2025.
• Coalition's Stance: The coalition argues that they rely on the mobile ecosystem to serve their customers and believe there is strength in numbers when dealing with powerful companies like Apple and Google.
• Additional Focus: The coalition will also lobby against alleged anti-competition practices by Apple and Google.
• Historical Context: In December 2024, the Heat Initiative and ParentsTogether criticized Apple's age rating system for allowing access to inappropriate materials. Apple had previously helped kill a child online safety bill that would have placed age verification responsibilities on its shoulders.