Apple's New Age Assurance: Protecting Kids' Privacy

Apple announces a feature allowing parents to share their child's age with app developers without revealing sensitive information, amidst debates over age-verification laws. The 'age assurance' tool aims to protect children's privacy by sharing age ranges instead of exact birth dates, sparking mixed reactions in the tech industry.

Apple has unveiled a new feature designed to safeguard children's privacy, allowing parents to share their child's age with app developers without disclosing sensitive information like birthdays. This comes as numerous U.S. states contemplate age-verification laws for apps. The feature aims to balance privacy concerns with legal compliance.

The tech industry remains divided on the issue. States like Utah and South Carolina are considering legislation mandating app stores to verify user ages. Companies like Meta support such laws, arguing app stores should take responsibility, while Apple prefers not to collect sensitive data for verification purposes.

Under Apple's new 'age assurance' tool, parents can input a child's age, permitting the sharing of age ranges with developers. This initiative aims to keep parental control over their kids' data while minimizing information shared with third parties. Despite support from tech giants like Meta, Apple faces challenges in implementation.

(With inputs from agencies.)