“This is a critical piece of infrastructure for how to create more thoughtful safeguards for kids online,” Wicks told POLITICO.Google, Meta and the like argue Wicks’ AB 1043 is a more balanced and privacy-protective approach because it allows kids to download apps without parental consent, unlike the laws passed in Utah and Texas.It also doesn’t mandate photo ID uploads — a controversial feature that sparked outrage from privacy advocates when the United Kingdom implemented age-gating rules earl...