Utah governor signs online child safety law requiring Apple, Google to verify user ages
Utah's signing of the law is a political win for Meta, which has been aiming to put more political and regulatory pressure on Apple.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox on Wednesday signed a bill that requires Apple and Google's mobile app stores to verify user ages and require parental permission for those under 18 to use certain apps, the governor's spokesperson told CNBC.
The law is the first of its kind in the nation and represents a significant shift in how user ages are verified online, and says it's the responsibility of mobile app stores to verify ages — putting the onus on Apple and Google, instead of individual apps like Instagram, Snapchat and X, to do age checks.