Age Verification LawsApp stores
California's Digital Age Assurance Act
From 1 January 2027, operating systems in California must ask for a birth date or age when an account is set up, and send apps a signal saying which age bracket the user is in.1 It is an age signal, not an ID check.1
Checked 28 October 2026 against the sources.
Who must do what
AB 1043 was approved by the governor on 13 October 2025 and adds the Digital Age Assurance Act to the Civil Code, sections 1798.500 to 1798.505.1
| Who | Duty |
|---|---|
| Operating system providers | Show an interface at account setup where the account holder enters the user's birth date, age or both. Send a signal with the age bracket to developers that ask, and send only the minimum information needed.1 |
| App developers | Request the signal when the app is downloaded and launched, and treat it as the main indicator of the user's age range. Do not ask for more information than needed, or share the signal for other purposes.1 |
| App stores | Can supply the signal to developers, must apply the same rules to their own apps, and must not use the data against competing developers.1 |
The four age brackets
The signal says, at a minimum, which of these applies to the user.1
- Under 13
- 13 to 15
- 16 and 17
- 18 or older
Devices it covers
An operating system provider is anyone who develops, licenses or controls the operating system on a computer, mobile device or any other general purpose computing device.1
What it does not require
The law says it does not require collecting more personal information from device owners or users than is needed to comply.1
Dates and penalties
- Approved by the governor and filed with the Secretary of State.1
- The law becomes operative.1
- Deadline for operating systems to offer the age interface on devices set up before 2027, and for developers of apps updated since 1 January 2026 to request a signal for users who downloaded them before 2027.1
Questions people ask
Does AB 1043 require uploading an ID?
No. It requires the account holder to indicate a birth date or age at account setup, and the law says it does not require collecting more personal information than that.1
Does California's law apply to Linux and other computers?
The law's definition covers the operating system on "a computer, mobile device, or any other general purpose computing device".1 We found no official guidance on how it applies to any particular operating system.
When does California's age verification law start?
On 1 January 2027, with a deadline of 1 July 2027 for devices set up earlier.1
Sources 1
- AB 1043, Digital Age Assurance Act, chaptered text, California Legislative Information. Read 28 October 2026 from the Internet Archive copy of 5 October 2026 (the live site did not load for us).
Every fact here comes from the law, checked again and dated. How we check