Google Pushes Back Against Meta’s Age-Check Proposal, Citing Privacy Risks
Google isn’t on board with Meta’s latest idea for verifying users’ ages—and they’re not holding back about why.
In a blog post released Friday, the tech giant expressed deep concerns over Meta’s proposal, which suggests using app store data to confirm a user’s age. According to Google, this approach isn’t just flawed—it’s risky, especially when it comes to kids’ privacy.
The heart of the issue? Google believes sharing detailed age data from app stores would expose millions of developers—many of whom have no need for that information—to sensitive user details. Think flashlight apps or calculator tools, which have nothing to do with age-sensitive content.
“We have strong concerns about the risks this ‘solution’ would pose to children,” the company wrote, noting that it would also fail to cover other common online entry points like desktops or shared devices at home.
This clash comes amid growing pressure in Europe, where regulators are pushing for tighter restrictions on underage access to digital platforms. France, for instance, has already taken a hard stance against adult websites that don’t implement age checks. Meanwhile, several EU countries are urging Brussels to introduce continent-wide rules barring users under 15 from accessing social platforms.
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, insists that verifying age at the system level—via operating systems or app stores—is the way forward. Their argument? It creates a safer ecosystem for teens. But major players like Google and Apple say that’s not where the focus should be.
In February, Apple made its stance clear: “The right place to address the dangers of age-restricted content is the limited set of websites and apps that actually host that content.”
Even as Meta campaigns across Europe to push its approach into policy, the current rules—under the EU’s Digital Services Act—put the onus directly on platforms like Meta to handle age verification, not app stores or OS providers.
Google also warned that adopting Meta’s model would mean overhauling the very foundation of how the open web operates—a change that could have unpredictable consequences.
Bottom line: the debate over digital safety, privacy, and who bears responsibility isn’t going away anytime soon—and the world’s biggest tech names aren’t exactly seeing eye to eye.
