Meta is urging the federal government to overhaul how age verification works for social media apps in Canada, arguing that responsibility should shift away from individual platforms and onto app stores such as Apple’s App Store and Google Play.
The company says that a centralized, system-wide method of confirming a user’s age would provide stronger online protections for teens while reducing how much personal information social media platforms must collect.
Under Meta’s proposal, users would be asked to verify whether they are over or under 18 before downloading apps like Facebook or Instagram.
The company says this approach would create a consistent standard across the industry, simplify compliance with future online safety laws, and eliminate the need for each platform to design its own verification system.
Meta has also emphasized that the change could help parents better understand what their children download on their devices.
Federal officials have shown interest in the idea as part of ongoing conversations around online safety legislation, but the proposal has also sparked questions at the provincial level.
Some provinces have raised concerns about privacy, data handling, and who would ultimately regulate the system.
Despite that debate, Meta maintains that app-store-level verification is the most secure and least intrusive option available, and the company says it plans to continue discussions with Ottawa in the coming months.
