Meta, X, and Snap are delighted about a new Utah legislation that will hold Apple and Google accountable for checking users’ ages and obtaining parental consent on their app stores.

The tech giants are currently engaged in a dispute over who should assume the task of age verification on the app stores. Meta and similar companies contend that it is the responsibility of the app stores, as these entities host and distribute the apps. On the other hand, the app stores argue that it is ultimately the responsibility of the companies creating the apps, as they are directly providing them to consumers.

Besides Utah, there are other states also contemplating legislation regarding age verification. However, Utah was the first state to actually implement such a law. The recently passed App Store Accountability Act, as it is known, was approved by the state’s legislature earlier this month and now awaits Gov. Spencer Cox’s signature for it to become official.

Prior to the passing of the law, Apple unveiled a new set of child safety measures for its App Store. These measures involve an age-verification system for apps. The implementation of this system will enable app developers to utilize a new Declared Age Range API to gain access to age range details provided by the parent. This information does not disclose the exact age or birthdate of the minor, but permits developers to tailor their app experiences accordingly, depending on the provided age range.

According to Apple’s system requirements, app developers are responsible for requesting the age range before their app can be used instead of the App Store verifying it during the download process.

Unsurprisingly, social media companies are elated at the prospect of the new Utah law mandating app stores to confirm users’ ages prior to downloading apps on their devices.

Utah’s recent move has received commendation from Meta, X, and Snap in a collective statement:

“We applaud Governor Cox and the State of Utah for being the first in the nation to empower parents and users with greater control over teen app downloads, and urge other states to consider this groundbreaking approach. Parents want a one-stop-shop to oversee and approve the many apps their teens want to download, and Utah has led the way in centralizing it within a device’s app store. This approach spares users from repeatedly submitting personal information to countless individual apps and online services. We are committed to safeguarding parents and teens, and look forward to seeing more states adopt this model.”

Collectively, 16 U.S. states, such as California and Texas, have implemented individual forms of app store regulations centered on verifying age and protecting youth.