October 31, 2025
In the ongoing debate about how to best protect children online, a new proposal gaining traction would force app stores to verify the age of every user. While well-intentioned, age verification laws, whether at the app store level or the platform level, threaten the privacy and constitutional rights of all Floridians and inadvertently make teenagers less safe online. This approach is the wrong path for Florida.
The proposed legislative model would require app stores to collect users’ sensitive personal information to verify their age before they can download any application. Since app stores assume a user is a minor unless they prove otherwise, even adults would need to divulge their personal information. If a user is found to be under 18, the store would then need parental permission for every download. This solution emerged as an alternative after courts repeatedly struck down previous laws requiring social media platforms to verify users’ ages. These app store laws have gained momentum this past year, introduced at the federal level and ultimately becoming law in Utah, Texas, Louisiana, and California. However, shifting the mandate to the app store does not fix the fundamental problems with age verification; it only repackages a failed concept. Federal courts have consistently affirmed that forcing users to sacrifice privacy and anonymity to access legally permissible content creates an unconstitutional chilling effect on free speech. As of late last week, Texas’s “App Store Accountability Act” is already facing two separate lawsuits for similar First Amendment violations. Even if courts uphold these laws, they fail in practice. The collection and storage of sensitive documents transform app stores into honeypots for cybercriminals targeting teenage users. According to Experian, 25% of minors already become victims of identity fraud or theft before they turn 18—mandatory age verification dramatically exacerbates this risk. When these databases are inevitably compromised, teenagers’ leaked personal information makes them more vulnerable to identity theft, stalking, and exploitation.
This increased vulnerability comes without any actual benefit, as tech-savvy teens easily bypass age verification restrictions through VPNs or web browsers where these rules don’t apply. The false sense of security leads parents to lower their guard while their children navigate toward unregulated corners of the internet with fewer safety features. These mandates force every Floridian to submit to invasive data collection simply to access tools that already exist. Parents can already require approval for every download, block certain apps, or monitor screen time on virtually every smartphone.Florida already has a better approach. In 2023, legislators passed HB 379, requiring K-12 schools to provide education on the “social, emotional, and physical effects” of social media. This curriculum builds lasting resilience by teaching students critical thinking skills for navigating online spaces safely, from cyberbullying to self-regulating social media use. Unlike rigid age verification systems that teens circumvent, education creates adaptable skills that evolve with new technologies while respecting parental authority. True parental empowerment comes from equipping families with the knowledge and tools they need to make smart choices, not from a one-size-fits-all government mandate that forces them to surrender their privacy. Florida’s education-first approach, combined with existing parental controls, offers real protection without surveillance.
Tallahassee’s policymakers should continue to build on that success rather than importing a flawed and failing model from other states.
Originally found in the Tallahassee Democrat
