Instagram calls for EU regulation to implement age verification at app stores

Instagram wants Brussels to implement new regulations that oblige app stores, like the Google Play Store and Apple App Store, to introduce age verification and parental approval to protect minors from potentially harmful content.

“The EU needs consistent standards for all apps, to help keep teens safe, empower parents and preserve privacy,” Instagram says in a blog post.

The best way to accomplish these goals is by taking measures at the source: the app stores. Before teenagers can download and install apps, an age verification system should check whether the apps are suited for them or if they may contain inappropriate content.

Another way to protect young users from potentially harmful content is by implementing a system that requires parental approval before apps can be downloaded from app stores. Parents are willing to play a more active role in protecting their teenagers online and place teenagers in age-appropriate experiences, Instagram pleads.

The social networking platform refers to a survey conducted by market researcher Morning Consult that shows that three in four parents support a law requiring parental approval for teens to download an app. In addition, parents favor app stores over individual apps as easier and more secure places to approve app downloads.

Instagram says it’s actively collaborating with industry peers, civil society groups, parents, and experts to lobby with European policymakers to introduce new regulations, implementing age verification and parental approval at app stores.

To protect teens under the age of 16 from potentially harmful content, Instagram launched so-called Teen Accounts last year.

All Teen Accounts are, by default, private accounts, meaning that users need to accept new followers, and people who don’t follow them can’t see their content. In addition, teens can only see content and messages from people they follow and who follow them in return.

Furthermore, teens are placed under the most sensitive content restrictions to limit what they can see and interact with.