Apple and Google lobby states to block app store safety lawsuits
Apple ($AAPL) and Google ($GOOGL) are actively lobbying state lawmakers to adopt kids' online safety legislation that would shield them from certain lawsuits related to age-verification requirements. According to Politico, this effort is driven by draft legislation, internal emails, and discussions with individuals familiar with the campaign. The push comes as federal progress on kids' online safety legislation has stalled, forcing the companies to focus on state legislatures.
The tech giants are facing numerous lawsuits alleging that their platform designs have harmed users or their children. Age-verification mandates at the state level are creating additional legal avenues for plaintiffs to sue tech companies. The legislative templates promoted by Apple and Google have faced resistance from some technology safety advocates, according to Politico.
This lobbying campaign is happening amidst widespread litigation targeting tech platforms over youth safety. Four states, California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey, are seeking $1.4 trillion in penalties from Meta ($META) for allegedly designing Facebook and Instagram to addict young users and misleading the public about platform safety. A trial on these claims is scheduled before U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in Oakland, California.
A separate jury in New Mexico recently found Meta liable for $375 million in damages, concluding that the company violated state consumer protection laws by exposing children to sexual exploitation and concealing platform dangers. Meta has denied the core accusations, arguing that claims of consumer deception related to addictiveness are undermined by the fact that social media addiction is not recognized as a formal condition by the psychiatric community.