Denmark is gearing up to take on the presidency of the Council of the EU and has already promised to take action in Brussels, calling the protection of children online “a key priority” for the six-month presidency.
However, while a growing number of countries favor some kind of action, there are significant divisions within the tech industry.
Meta’s argument is that a regulation forcing age checks to happen at the operating system or app store level is more comprehensive since it would then cover every social media platform. Its lobbying campaign will run in Belgium, Denmark, France and Italy until the end of June, a Meta spokesperson said previously.
Meta’s stance is strongly opposed by the likes of Apple and Google, which operate app stores and operating systems. These players argue that services like Instagram should implement age verification measures, and that’s the best way to ensure children stay safe online.
A solution to make app stores verify users’ age is portrayed “as ‘simple’ by its backers, including Meta,” but “fails to cover desktop computers or other devices that are commonly shared within families,” Google said in a blog post last week.
As the European Commission finalizes draft guidelines on the issue, Google’s recent submission slammed Meta’s campaign, saying that the EU’s Digital Services Act requires “all online platforms to take on the responsibility of offering age appropriate experiences” and that “the real risks and content are within the app,” not the app store.