ReadyOnline
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Hold Tech Companies Accountable

We demand universal child signaling so apps automatically protect kids.

Sign the Petition — Demand Child Signaling Now
The problem

Parents assume protections exist. They often do not.

Families should not have to discover a safety gap after a child has already entered an app.

01

App stores do not pass child-account signals to apps.

A child can download an app from a family-managed device without the app reliably knowing it is serving a child.

02

Apps do not automatically turn on child-safety features.

Safety controls may exist, but a family can be left to find, understand, and activate every setting one by one.

03

The burden falls on parents.

Parents reasonably expect family protections to carry into the apps their children download. Today, that connection is inconsistent.

The simple solution

One signal. Automatic protection.

App stores should send a child account signal to apps. When an app receives that signal, it should turn on all child-safety features automatically.

  1. 1Family creation already establishes a child account.
  2. 2The app store sends a simple child-account signal when that child downloads an app.
  3. 3The app automatically enables its child protections. Parents can still turn them off easily.

This uses age information already collected during family creation. No new data. No PII. No verification.

Why this works

Protection can begin immediately.

ReadyOnline supports a solution that works with the systems families already use.

65%of kids are already enrolled in Family Link or Family Sharing.
Instantprotection for those children when app stores adopt child signaling.
0new data points, age-verification demands, or added friction for parents.
Landmark Meta case

The industry has already named the missing piece.

Public statements from Meta have pointed to app stores providing a reliable age signal so apps can automatically enforce age-appropriate protections.

That position supports the strategy behind this petition: a reliable signal at the app-store level would let every participating app protect children automatically instead of asking families to find the right setting in every new service.

ReadyOnline is calling for action that is practical, transparent, and measurable—not another promise buried in a menu.

Child signaling already exists

Technology already understands signals.

Child signaling is not a new surveillance system. It is one more safe, limited flag in systems that already use them constantly.

Device typeSubscription statusRegionLanguageParental approvalPermissionsOS-level flagsChild account signal
Country-Level Origin Signal

Context without precise tracking.

Public accounts should show a country or region flag—not a precise location—to make important context visible without exposing where someone lives.

A limited public signal

A country or broad region can add useful context while avoiding street, city, or real-time location information.

More clues for impersonation

When an account claims local knowledge but its public origin signal does not fit, people have one more reason to pause and verify independently.

Clearer misinformation context

Origin context helps people weigh coordinated misinformation and claims presented as local reporting without treating a region as proof of intent.

Industry transparency

When app stores adopt child signaling, families can see who acts.

Transparency turns child safety from a vague promise into a clear industry expectation.

Which apps care about child safety?

Apps can publicly show whether they honor the child-account signal and what protections turn on automatically.

Which apps ignore it?

Families, advocates, and policymakers can see which services decline a simple, safety-forward standard.

Which protections are truly usable?

Parents can see whether protections activate automatically, are easy to adjust, or are hidden behind confusing menus.

What we’re demanding

If a child downloads an app, the app must turn on child protections automatically.

No exceptions. No hidden menus. No self-reported age.

Sign the Petition — Demand Child Signaling Now
Tech Specs & Feasibility

How Child Signaling Works

Child signaling is not new technology. It uses the same infrastructure app stores already use to send dozens of signals to apps every day.

01

OS-Level Child Account Flags Already Exist

  • Google Family Link and Apple Family Sharing already know which accounts are children.
  • The OS already knows which device belongs to which child and which apps were parent-approved.
  • No new data is created. No PII is shared.
02

App Stores Already Send Signals Constantly

Apps already receive:

  • device type
  • OS version
  • region
  • language
  • subscription status
  • parental approval flags
  • permissions
  • OS-level security flags

Child signaling is just one more flag.

03

Apps Already Have Child-Safety Modes Built In

  • Restricted mode
  • Private accounts
  • DM blocking
  • Search filtering
  • Content filtering
  • Friend request restrictions

The issue is they do not turn these on automatically.

04

No Age Verification Required

  • 65% of kids are already in Family Link or Family Sharing.
  • Their age is already known and approved by a parent.
  • No scanning, no ID upload, no biometrics, no new data collection.
05

No PII Shared

The signal contains only:

“child account = true”

Nothing else.

06

Implementation Is Trivial

For app stores:

  • Add a boolean flag to the entitlement payload.
  • Send it with the existing metadata bundle.

For apps:

  • Listen for the flag.
  • If child = true, enable child-safety mode.
  • Provide a parent override.
07

Supported by the Meta Landmark Case

  • Meta publicly stated that app stores should provide a reliable age signal.
  • This would allow apps to automatically enforce protections.
  • This directly supports ReadyOnline’s petition.
08

Creates Instant Industry Transparency

Once the signal exists:

  • Apps that care will enable protections.
  • Apps that don’t will be exposed.
  • Parents will see who prioritizes safety.
  • Regulators will see who is negligent.
Learn more

Explore the child signaling standard.

Open one layer at a time for the technical details, implementation path, and press-ready overview.

Tech Specs & Feasibility
Technical Briefing

Universal Child Signaling Standard

Page 1 — The Problem & The Infrastructure

The Problem

App stores do not pass child account information to apps. Apps do not automatically turn on child‑safety features. Parents assume protections exist — but they don’t.

The Infrastructure Already Exists

Both iOS and Android already maintain OS‑level child account flags through:

  • Google Family Link
  • Apple Family Sharing
  • Device setup flows
  • Parent‑approved app downloads

These systems already know:

  • which accounts are children
  • which devices belong to which child
  • which apps were approved by a parent

No new data is required. No new identifiers are created. No PII is shared.

Page 2 — The Signal & The App Response

The Child Signal

App stores already send dozens of signals to apps:

  • device type
  • OS version
  • region
  • language
  • subscription status
  • parental approval flags
  • permissions
  • OS‑level security flags

Child signaling is simply:

child_account = true

This flag is added to the existing entitlement payload apps already parse.

The App Response

When apps receive child_account = true, they automatically enable:

  • restricted mode
  • private accounts
  • DM blocking
  • search filtering
  • content filtering
  • friend request limits
  • visibility restrictions
  • simplified settings

These features already exist. They simply aren’t activated automatically.

Parents can override protections easily — and apps will make this simpler than the current maze.

Page 3 — Feasibility, Privacy, and Industry Impact

Feasibility

For app stores:

  • Add a boolean flag to the entitlement payload
  • Refresh it on the same cadence as other metadata

For apps:

  • Listen for the flag
  • Trigger child‑safety mode

This is standard engineering work.

Privacy & Data Minimization

The signal contains only:

child_account = true

No birthday. No name. No email. No identifiers. No cross‑app tracking. No new data collection.

Industry Impact

Once the signal exists:

  • Apps that care will turn protections on
  • Apps that don’t will be exposed
  • Parents will see who prioritizes safety
  • Regulators will see who is negligent

This is accountability.

Child Signaling Standard — Spec Sheet
Technical reference

Child Signaling Standard — Spec Sheet

Signal Name
child_account
Signal Type
Boolean
Values
true or false
Source
OS‑level family systems (Family Link, Family Sharing)
Transport
App Store entitlement payload / install metadata
Refresh Cadence
Same as subscription & entitlement refresh
PII Shared
None
New Data Created
None
Parent Override
Supported

App Requirements:

  • Auto‑enable child‑safety mode
  • Provide clear parent override
  • Log activation for transparency

App Store Requirements:

  • Include child_account in entitlement payload
  • Refresh on standard cadence
  • Provide developer documentation

Security Considerations:

  • No new identifiers
  • No cross‑app tracking
  • No additional storage
  • No verification burden

Expected Outcomes:

  • Automatic protection for 65% of kids
  • No age verification required
  • Industry transparency
  • Reduced risk exposure
Developer Implementation Guide
Developer reference

Developer Implementation Guide — Child Signaling

Step 1 — Read the Entitlement Payload

Your app already parses metadata from the app store. Add one line:

const isChild = entitlement.child_account === true;

Step 2 — Trigger Child‑Safety Mode

If isChild is true:

enableChildSafetyMode();

Child safety mode should activate:

  • private account
  • DM restrictions
  • search filtering
  • content filtering
  • friend request limits
  • visibility restrictions
  • simplified settings

Step 3 — Provide Parent Override

if (parentOverride === true) {
    disableChildSafetyMode();
}

Step 4 — Listen for Refreshes

Apps already listen for entitlement refresh events. Child signaling uses the same cadence.

Step 5 — Log Activation for Transparency

This helps parents and regulators see compliance.

Press Summary
For media

Press Summary — Universal Child Signaling

ReadyOnline is calling for a simple, universal safety standard: App stores must send a child‑account signal to apps, and apps must automatically turn on child‑safety features.

This protects millions of kids instantly — without age verification, without new data collection, and without burdening parents.

The signal already exists inside Google Family Link and Apple Family Sharing. Apps already have child‑safety modes. App stores already send dozens of signals to apps.

Child signaling is just one more flag.

The Meta landmark case publicly stated that app stores should provide a reliable age signal so apps can automatically enforce protections. ReadyOnline’s petition demands exactly that.

This is the fastest, safest, most realistic path to protecting kids online — and it exposes which apps prioritize safety and which do not.