United States of America: Law on Age Verification Signals in Software Applications and Online Services (AB 1043) enters into force

On 1 January 2027, the Law on Age Verification Signals in Software Applications and Online Services (AB 1043) enters into force, codified under Title 1.81.9 (commencing with Section 1798.500) of Part 4 of Division 3 of the Civil Code and cited as the Digital Age Assurance Act. The Act requires operating system providers to include accessible interfaces at account setup prompting account holders to indicate a user’s birth date or age to generate an age-bracket signal communicated to application developers through a secure, real-time application programming interface. Developers must request and apply these signals when applications are downloaded and launched, treat them as the primary indicator of user age for compliance with applicable law, and avoid sharing signal data for any purpose not required by statute. Beginning 1 July 2027, operating system providers must also provide such interfaces for devices set up before 1 January 2027, and developers of applications last updated on or after 1 January 2026 and downloaded before that date must request an age-verification signal by 1 July 2027. The Act prohibits operating system providers and application stores from using collected data for anticompetitive purposes. Enforcement is vested in the Attorney General, who may impose civil penalties of up to USD 2'500 per affected child for negligent and USD 7'500 per affected child for intentional violations. The Act’s provisions are severable and operate in complement to the California Age-Appropriate Design Code Act.