A Texas federal judge today blocked an App Store age verification law that was set to go into effect on January 1, 2026, which means Apple may not have to support the changes after all. The Texas App Store Accountability Act (SB2420) requires Apple and other app marketplaces to confirm user age when a person creates an Apple Account. Apple Accounts for users under 18 would need to join a Family Sharing group, with new controls available for parents and restrictions for minors.
  • yeahiknow3@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
    13·
    1 hour ago

    Comparing the App Store, a cesspool of gacha slop and predatory gambling, to a book store is so perverted. Meanwhile the literary industry is dying.

    This isn’t about “protecting the children.” This is about protecting ourselves. The average human is only slightly smarter than a farm animal. Inculcating them with social media, gacha games, and gambling before the age of 21 is a recipe for idiocracy. But human civilization is cooked, so this is all academic.

    • NarrativeBear@lemmy.worldEnglish
      31·
      2 hours ago

      Parental controls have existed for years on home routers. Anything more is the equivalent of a stanger coming into my home and telling me how to raise my kids.

      Requiring to provide ID to third party corporations is not the ideal solution, especially when that information can be leaked and stolen, and let’s face it corporations leak and get hacked almost weekly. Would you support your childs and your information being leaked and posted online?

      Now if “protected the children” were the actual real reason for “age verification” then this could be achieved with government campaigns for proper parental controls and programs for education supporting IT literacy. Goverment curation of approved whitelist of websites for certain age brackets could also be implemented and made available simply and efficiently within routes.

      The same can then be implemented at the “device side” with a DNS and schools can apply the same to any school networks. Hell manufacturers could provide a “kids mode” for devices that locks the DNS.

      Nowhere should the solution be a “ID check” for everyone of every age bracket having their face scanned and tracked everywhere they go.

      Imagine for a moment living in a world where you would need to provide identification at every corner, street, or store you walk into.