WASHINGTON, D.C., 11 December 2025 — Apple CEO Tim Cook met with members of the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee on Wednesday to express concerns over a proposed federal law that would require app stores to authenticate users’ ages — a move Apple says could force the company to collect sensitive personal data from millions of children and adults.

The proposed legislation, known as the App Store Accountability Act, seeks to strengthen protections for minors by ensuring children are not exposed to harmful online content. Several U.S. states, including Texas and Utah, have already enacted similar laws requiring parental consent before minors can download apps or make in-app purchases. Internationally, the debate is gaining momentum as well, with Australia introducing a nationwide social media ban for under-16s this week.

While age limits for online services enjoy overwhelming public support, the policy battle has triggered a sharp divide between major technology companies. Apple and Google — operators of the world’s largest app stores — warn that enforcing age verification at the platform level could require mass collection of birth certificates, government IDs, and other highly sensitive documents, creating new privacy and security risks for families. Meta, owner of Facebook and Instagram, has taken the opposite stance, arguing that app stores are uniquely positioned to enforce age-based restrictions effectively.

Apple, which has consistently positioned itself as a defender of user privacy, maintains that the federal proposal would undermine long-standing protections by compelling the company to gather identifying information about virtually every user, including children who simply want to download non-sensitive apps.

Hilary Ware, Apple’s Global Head of Privacy, cautioned lawmakers in a letter last week:

“Not all legislative proposals are equally protective of privacy or focused on holding all players in the ecosystem accountable. Some well-intended proposals for age verification at the app marketplace level would require the collection of sensitive information about anyone who wants to download an app — even if it’s an app that simply provides weather updates or sports scores.”

A 2023 Pew Research Center study found strong public agreement on the issue:

1. 81% of Americans support requiring parental consent before children open social media accounts.
2. 71% support some form of age verification before allowing minors to access social media.

As lawmakers, tech companies, and child-safety advocates debate the best way forward, one issue is becoming increasingly clear: protecting children online must not come at the expense of their privacy.

This ongoing discussion highlights the urgency for privacy-first, on-device safety solutions like RoseShield™ by ChildSafe.dev, which enable child protection without collecting or storing any personal data.