Social Media and Tech Giants Clash Over Age Verification Frameworks

A growing legislative battle is pitting major tech companies against one another as states consider how to regulate minors’ access to apps. At the center of the dispute is a fundamental disagreement between app developers like Meta and platform providers like Google and Apple over who should bear responsibility for verifying users’ ages and enforcing parental controls.

In Louisiana, a newly advanced bill would shift much of that burden to app stores, requiring companies like Google and Apple to confirm users’ ages and secure parental consent for those under 18. The measure, introduced by Rep. Kim Carver, echoes a provision from a 2024 bill that was ultimately defeated after lobbying from Apple. This time, Google is publicly opposing it.

“There’s not enough attention on the real risks that these proposals create,” said Kareem Ghanem, Google’s director of public policy. “These bills would do nothing to address people’s concerns. And in the process, they’re letting Zuckerberg and Meta off the hook by providing this false sense of security.”

Meta, by contrast, supports such legislation and has been aggressively lobbying in several states to push similar frameworks. The company is reportedly spending heavily at both state and federal levels, with $7.99 million in federal lobbying already in 2025 – its highest ever for a first quarter. Google is countering with its own policy proposals, favoring a “privacy-first” model in which app developers – not app stores – take the lead on implementing safety features. The company argues that requiring universal age checks and data sharing could create privacy risks and hurt smaller developers.

The outcome of these pushes for more age verification safety measures could dramatcally alter many smaller independent social media platforms, or apps as a whole. Multiple countries are pushing for mandatory age verification on social media in the EU, while the New Zealand prime minister has called for a complete ban on children under 16 being able to access social media at all. For social platforms that are meant to protect or even directly cater to minors, there are a wide range of upcoming changes that could fundamentally alter the audiences they have available.