TL;DR
Policymakers and activists are pushing for online age checks similar to showing ID offline, and app stores are a key focus as potential checkpoints. Legal and privacy concerns — including a 2004 Supreme Court ruling and the risk of data breaches — complicate any mandate; a recent Supreme Court decision appears to have loosened earlier limits.
What happened
Age verification in the physical world — for example showing a driver’s license to buy alcohol or certain magazines — has a longstanding analogue advocates want to replicate on the internet. Campaigners and some legislators have targeted porn sites and other online services they consider risky for minors, calling for systems that would prevent underage access. That proposal faces practical concerns specific to the digital realm: collecting identity data online raises security risks that could deter people from accessing lawful material if records are exposed. A 2004 Supreme Court case blocked a mandate for age checks on porn sites because officials had not proven less restrictive options were inadequate. Despite that, proponents kept pushing the issue, and according to the reporting, the Supreme Court’s more recent moves have created room for certain forms of online age verification. The column frames app stores as potential gatekeepers where lawmakers could impose such requirements.
Why it matters
- Collecting identity information online creates security and privacy risks that could expose sensitive data if breached.
- Mandatory verification systems could chill access to lawful speech if people avoid platforms over privacy concerns.
- App stores are centralized distribution points for software and could function as practical checkpoints if regulators require age screening.
- Legal precedent matters: a 2004 Supreme Court decision constrained mandates, but a more recent ruling has altered the legal landscape.
Key facts
- In the offline world, age checks often happen by presenting ID to a cashier.
- Advocates have long pushed for online equivalents to bar minors from adult content and other platforms deemed harmful.
- Online age verification faces unique challenges, including the possibility that collected data could be hacked.
- The Supreme Court’s 2004 Ashcroft v. ACLU ruling prevented mandated age verification on porn sites at that time.
- Activists and some legislators continued to press for age verification focused on porn sites and platforms most likely to reach minors.
- A more recent Supreme Court decision (referred to as occurring last year) has opened the door to some forms of internet age verification.
- The piece describes app stores as gateways that lawmakers might target to enforce age checks.
- This analysis appears in The Stepback, a weekly newsletter by Lauren Feiner, published Jan. 11, 2026.
What to watch next
- Whether lawmakers will introduce specific laws requiring app stores to verify user ages — not confirmed in the source
- Which technical approaches (for example, privacy-preserving verification) regulators or courts will find acceptable — not confirmed in the source
- How major app stores and platform operators will respond to any legal pressure to implement ID checks — not confirmed in the source
Quick glossary
- Age verification: Methods used to confirm a user’s age before granting access to age-restricted goods or content.
- App store: A digital marketplace where users download or purchase software for mobile devices and other platforms.
- Ashcroft v. ACLU (2004): A Supreme Court case that, at the time, constrained government mandates for online age verification on adult sites because less restrictive alternatives had not been shown inadequate.
- Content filter: Software or settings that block or limit access to certain online material, often used by parents or institutions.
Reader FAQ
Will I have to show ID to download apps?
Not confirmed in the source.
Why are app stores being discussed as places for age checks?
App stores act as centralized distribution points for many services, so policymakers see them as practical locations to screen access for minors.
Are there legal obstacles to forcing online age verification?
Yes. The 2004 Supreme Court ruling limited mandates for online age checks, though a more recent decision has made some approaches more legally viable.
Would age verification harm privacy?
The column notes that collecting identity data online raises the risk of breaches and could discourage people from accessing lawful content.
COLUMN POLICY THE STEPBACK Will you have to show your ID at the app store? App stores are gateways. Lawmakers want them to have checkpoints. by Lauren Feiner Jan 11,…
Sources
- Will you have to show your ID at the app store?
- Why Isn't Online Age Verification Just Like Showing Your …
- Big Tech won in Texas — but the age-verification fight is …
- US wants laws to force App Store age checks
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