Discussion

• @alexstamos Alex Stamos on x

  2) Require mobile devices (phones and tablets) sold in the US to include a flow, triggered during initial setup, that asks if the primary user is a child and stores their birthdate locally. The calculated age (rounded to year) should be provided via API to every app.

• @evan_greer Evan Greer on x

  I think @alexstamos idea at the center of this article is an interesting one, although as we saw with Apple's proposed on-device CSAM scanning plan, there are so many ways that something like this could go very wrong. My mind always goes to closeted queer kids with shitty parents

• @evan_greer Evan Greer on x

  Overall this is an excellent and well-reported article from @issielapowsky but i'm gonna be real: i HATE the headline [If Facebook and TikTok can't keep kids safe, maybe Apple can]. This is exactly the type of thinking that has gotten us into the mess in the first place. Relying …

• @alexstamos Alex Stamos on x

  4) Require app stores to allow uploaded apps to age gate on the stored age from #2. Again, hard to decide who sees exactly what but we can create the infra to allow for appropriate gating. (Somebody pointed out Tinder was recommended to her kid on Apple's store)

• @carnage4life Dare Obasanjo on x

  One thing I agree with Alex here is that the OS platforms should be helping protect kids more. Match has complained in the past that the App Store should prevent kids from downloading apps instead of every app having to either turn a blind eye or come up with a custom mitigation.…

• @chrismessina @chrismessina on x

  If every kid were issued a free device at birth, @alexstamos's idea could work: “Require mobile devices sold in the US to ask during setup whether the primary user is a child and their birthdate; then allow apps access via user age API.” https://www.protocol.com/... #DigitalDivid…

• @evan_greer Evan Greer on x

  And Apple itself is engaged in a number of practices that are actively harming kids and undermining human rights globally, most prominently its monopolistic, puritanical and restrictive app store policies, which serve as a convenient choke point for government censorship etc

• @carnage4life Dare Obasanjo on x

  Similarly the idea that teens having bad experiences online is a problem facing only one app which isn't even the 1st or 2nd most popular app amongst teens is swapping good versus bad narratives for actual informative or insightful reporting. We should be talking about solutions …

• @alexstamos Alex Stamos on x

  @issielapowsky To be clear, I do think that there is a responsibility for Facebook, Snap, TikTok and other apps used by kids/teens. Living up to the responsibility is much easier with somewhat dependable age information, preferably without privacy violations like ID checks.

• @evan_greer Evan Greer on x

  @issielapowsky Not to belabor it, but in a weird way I think that both Apple and Facebook would like this headline. For Facebook it sort of lets them off the hook and for Apple it helps their narrative that they are the privacy defenders protecting us from the Facebooks of the wo…

• @alexstamos Alex Stamos on x

  3) Require apps that will allow users under 18 to publish their child safety plans for each of the relevant age ranges above. We are way too early in the field to have a unified set of product features that work for everybody, but we can at least encourage thoughtful design.

• @alexstamos Alex Stamos on x

  5) As part of broader legislation, require cooperation with independent researchers under reasonable privacy controls (this is complex). There will be more details on this soon from a group I'm part of.

• @palafo Patrick LaForge on x

  This is a useful take https://www.theverge.com/...

• @issielapowsky Issie Lapowsky on x

  NEW: Everyone wants to do *something* to protect kids online, but nobody trusts platforms to fix the problems they enabled. What if part of the answer lies with device makers? Why aren't they a bigger part of the conversation? https://www.protocol.com/... h/t to @alexstamos

• @protocol @protocol on x

  Maybe we should stop asking Facebook to keep kids safe online because that doesn't seem to be going very well. Instead, some argue device makers and app store providers could be a better answer. https://www.protocol.com/...

• @evan_greer Evan Greer on x

  I spoke to Protocol about how we need to make sure attempts to protect kids and teens online don't undermine the ability of marginalized young people to use the Internet to find community, participate in organizing and activism, and express themselves https://www.protocol.com/...

• @issielapowsky Issie Lapowsky on x

  Sen. Lee is asking about Apple's age ratings for Instagram and Facebook. Davis says: “I would really love for you to invite Apple to answer those questions.” Actually same: https://www.protocol.com/... (Blumenthal said they'd be calling other companies)