When parents approve an app for their child, protections should turn on automatically — require a privacy‑preserving OS child flag and mandatory app enforcement.

Why this matters

Parents reasonably assume that approving an app through Apple Family Sharing or Google Family Link means the app will treat their child like a child. Today that assumption is false. Apps rely on whatever age a user types into the app — and kids can and do lie. Recent reporting and global experience (for example, Australia’s 2025 under‑16 social media ban, which was quickly bypassed by teens) show that app‑level age checks are brittle and easily circumvented.

What we are asking for

We call on Apple, Google, major app platforms, and  lawmakers to adopt a simple, privacy‑preserving standard that ensures parent‑approved child accounts receive automatic protections across apps:

1. OS‑level Age Signaling — When a parent creates a child account using Family Sharing or Family Link, the operating system should expose a single, non‑identifying safety flag to apps: child = true.
2. Child Mode API — Apps must implement a standard Child Mode API and automatically activate youth protections when they receive the child = true flag.
3. App‑store enforcement — App stores must require apps to honor the child flag as a condition of listing and updates.
4. Transparency — Apps must publish plain‑language descriptions of default settings for minors and how parents can manage them.
5. Country‑level origin for public accounts — A basic authenticity signal to help families identify impersonation and misinformation (not precise location).

Privacy guarantee — what this does and does not share

This approach is privacy‑first. The Child Mode API does not share personal data with apps. It does not send names, birthdays, contacts, photos, precise location, browsing history, or behavioral data. It sends one thing only:

child = true

This is a non‑identifying, yes/no safety signal that tells apps to activate the protections they already have.

Why this will work — closing the liability loophole

Age verification inside apps tries to guess who the user is and is easily bypassed. More importantly, the current system creates a structural incentive for platforms to avoid reliable age signals: if a child lies about their age, the platform can say “we didn’t know.” The Child Mode API removes that loophole. Because parents already verify the child at the OS level, the operating system can tell apps when a parent‑managed child account is active. Once platforms receive that verified flag, they must treat the user as a minor — and can no longer hide behind “the child lied.” That legal clarity will force companies to build real, effective child protections.

How it works (simple flow)

• Parent creates a child account via Family Sharing or Family Link.
• The OS exposes a single, signed flag to apps when that child account is active: child = true.
• Apps automatically enable child/teen defaults: restricted DMs, limited discovery, safer recommendations, spending limits, and parental notifications.

What this does not do

• It does not create new personal data flows to third parties.
• It does not reveal a child’s identity to apps.
• It does not track children across the web.
• It does not replace parental choice or parental controls — it enforces the protections parents already expect.

How you can help

• Sign this petition to call on Apple, Google, major apps, and Connecticut lawmakers to adopt OS‑level Age Signaling and require apps to honor the Child Mode API.
• Share this petition with parents, educators, and child‑safety advocates.
• Contact your state representative or senator and ask them to sponsor legislation that requires OS‑level Age Signaling and app‑store enforcement.

We need to require a modern, privacy‑preserving baseline for youth digital safety. This is a technically feasible, high‑impact change that protects children across every major platform without exposing personal data.

Sign now and help make online spaces safer for kids.