A California bill to check kids’ ages online is heading to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk, after it secured rare support from major tech giants, including Google, Meta and Snap.
The proposal, which would require device makers and app stores to verify user ages, cleared the state Assembly 58-0 in the early hours of Saturday with backing from Republicans and Democrats.
Google and Meta, plus other tech firms like OpenAI and Pinterest, rallied around the online age verification plan this week despite recently sparring over similar measures in Utah and Texas. They argue the measure from Democratic state Assemblymember Buffy Wicks offers a more reasonable solution and hope it becomes a de facto national standard for other states weighing mandatory age-checks amid bipartisan concerns about kids’ safety online.
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Yeah but often their trick is to push through the idea. It’s easier if people are just like “eh fine, I can just lie”.
Then later they say “it turns out lots of people have been lying! Lying is bad, so we need to stop them.” - then they don’t need to debate the idea of age verification because everyone has “agreed” to it already. They only need to argue that people must be honest, which is way easier.
I disagree… I think that’s like saying “people are ok with having a license to drive, they won’t mind showing it every time they get behind the wheel.”