Apple starts stricter age system for children who download social media apps to iPhones and iPads

The new rules make it difficult for children to download apps with minimum age ratings from Apple's App Store.

As part of the new system, the parents can change the age associated with the account of a child, while a new furnishing process is also introduced to facilitate the control of their child's access levels for apps on iPhones and iPads.

Apple also uses app developers additional skills to prevent children from downloading apps in the Apple App Store based on their age. This is an “API” software-ad-on that can automatically refuse companies such as Meta, Google and TikTok downloads to subordinate accounts, based on the uses used over the accounts that access the App Store.

However, the new system stops that children upload the identification of the government like passports, a step in which Apple defeats data protection considerations. Apple's New Age Assurance System also requires the active purchase of parents who receive more control over the download controls of their children according to the new rules.

The new measures mainly apply to “children's accounts”, which are set up under “Family approval” regulations, in which the parents can determine a lot of what the child can do on an iPhone and iPad.

In Ireland, 59 percent of 11-year-olds have a smartphone. According to the most recent national survey among primary school children from cyersafekids.

75 percent between 8 and 12 have a YouTube account, while 74 percent between 12 and 14 have a Tikok account. Over half of the Irish children in the same age group has an Instagram account. The minimum age for most social media services is 13.

Last year there was a struggle between technology giants and supervisory authorities about who should take more responsibility to ensure that children download inappropriate apps.

The most important social media companies such as Meta and Tikok argue that the responsibility for the fact that responsibility for children prevents their apps should rest in the two main app stores in Apple and Google, as this is the easiest way to check the police age.

However, Apple and Google say that this could damage privacy.

Coimisiún Na Meán, which regulates platforms with its EU headquarters in Ireland, has given “identity documents” such as passports or “living” selfies as methods that you can intend to prevent the age review as part of your new online security code in order to prevent cyber bullation, eating disorders, self-invading and incapable access to adults.

However, it has stopped asking for certain measures, and instead it is a “matter for the platforms to decide which age -faulting measures should be set up”.

“The platforms must demonstrate the effectiveness of the form of age review or the old -age insurance, which they chose to satisfy Coimisiún Na Meán.”

The watchdog does not indicate any other criteria about what “effectiveness” means, and instead leaves it to the Tech company.

In Ireland, some online services require uploading state identification as a review system. This includes frequently used apps such as revolution and some financial services as well as online gambling apps such as Paddy Power.

In autumn, the then health minister Stephen Donnelly demanded that the mandatory filter of broadband companies and a ban on social media for children under the age of 16 could be installed. He described the negative effects on children from social media as a “national health loss”.

However, organizations of the bourgeois freedom say that the demand that all formal photo identifications are uploading to access social media services such as YouTube OT Facebook in order to distinguish appropriate age, is disproportionately excessively excessively exaggerated and endangered that data protection rights defeat.