NJ congressman introduces effort to force Google, Apple to verify users’ ages
📱 NJ congressman proposes bill to require age checks on devices
👶 Would limit kids’ access to apps, social media and AI platforms
⚖️ Law aims to give parents more control over children’s online safety
RIDGEWOOD — A New Jersey congressman is pushing legislation to require major tech companies to verify the ages of users before they download apps.
The Empowering Parents to Protect Their Children’s Devices Act, or Parents Decide Act, for short, would require operating system developers like Apple and Google to verify users younger than 18 while setting up a new device, such as a phone or a tablet.
How the law would change access to social media and AI
That age verification would then carry over to age-appropriate apps or AI platforms that are even available for a child to request for download.
“Let’s be honest, the rules we have right now don’t work,” U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J. 5th District, said during a Thursday news conference outside the YMCA in Ridgewood, calling the internet ever more "treacherous."
Gottheimer, who is co-chairman of the Congressional Democratic AI Commission, shared some sobering statistics on how tech and social media use are rooted in being a pre-teen and teenager in 2026.
Read More: How New Jersey is taking on child and teen social media use
Rising concerns over kids, social media and AI use
Nearly 95% of teenagers use social media — two-thirds are on it every day.
Younger kids are on it too, despite voluntary rules from many tech companies, Gottheimer said.
On average, kids younger than 13 have more than three different social media accounts, he said — 68% have TikTok accounts and about 10% have “hidden” accounts their parents don’t know about.
He also detailed the concerning spike in chatbot interaction - 72% of teens use what are called AI companions — one in three have used them for social interactions and relationships.
One in three teens who use AI companions have discussed “important or serious” issues with the automated platforms instead of with other humans.
Read More: What NJ's new school smartphone law means for students
Lawmakers say parents need more control over online safety
Gottheimer said that there are currently no meaningful age verification requirements to help restrict age-appropriate content. In many cases, to download an app, a user can just bypass any requirement by entering a different birthday or claiming the wrong age to gain access.
“What hasn't changed as a parent is our responsibility to protect our kids. Because what they’re being exposed to online — on social media, on a random app, on one of the AI platforms — isn’t harmless. What they see online influences how we see the world, and how they see the world, and what the world knows about them. And the results can be tragic,” Gottheimer said.
He described being a parent of two teenagers, trying to juggle work and home responsibilities, and getting the auto request from a child's or tablet to approve the download of a new app.
And the immediate struggle to vet that app and find out if it’s age-appropriate, and if it’s safe to allow them access.
He said children should not have to self-police against harmful content online.
Gottheimer was joined by Ridgewood Mayor Paul Vagianos, Bergen County Education Association Vice President Michael Yannone, Laura Van Zile from the group “Okay to Delay” and Ridgewood YMCA CEO and Online Safety Advocate Ramon Hache.
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Gallery Credit: Erin Vogt
